In Another Lifetime
by Misa1124
Summary: Just because two people are absolutely right for each other doesn't mean that it will always work out. But at least they keep trying until it does. (Rogue/Remy)
1. Medieval Times Part I

Disclaimer: I am not creative enough to think up these characters so I borrowed them. 

*Note* This may seem a little AU at first. Cut me some slack. I'm a beginner.

Medieval Times - Part I

            She ran.

            Her footfalls fell silently except for the occasional crunch of leaves. Tears streamed down her face, causing her to run blindly through the courtyard. "This can't be happening," she thought. "This is not how things were supposed to be! How could it turn to this?" The tears soon turned to sobs and she wearily sunk to the ground, her lungs unable to keep up any longer.  She pulled her knees tightly to her chest, trying to quiet the noise her crying was making. She didn't notice as two arms enveloped her.

            "Chere, I'm sorry."

            "They're gone, Remy. Gone. Kurt, Katherine, Logan, Ororo. My only family! And now I'm on the run." She buried her face in his chest as he tried to soothe her.

            "I'll protect you, Rogue, I swear it."

            "How? I'm a sorceress; you're a prince. You have your duties; I'm a wanted woman! There is a bounty already on my head no doubt. What can we do?"

            He tilted her head up so that his piercing red and black eyes could look into her deep green ones. "I love you. I don't care what they think or the fact that they are trying to drive you out of our kingdom. My father has known you and cared for you from the day your parents died. He understands our love, I'm sure of it. Why else would he go through all the trouble? We will be together and you will be safe. Duke Xavier wants power and the only way he can get it is through me and that's never going to happen."

            Duke Xavier had once been a loyal and faithful subject of King Jean-Luc Lebeau. Or so everyone thought. Remy quickly discovered that the man wanted nothing more than his father's kingdom. Since Remy was five years old, Xavier had been trying to betroth his daughter, Jean, to him but his father repeatedly told him that Remy was already spoken for. No one knew who the bride to be was going to be, to ensure her safety and Remy's. King Lebeau was very powerful and had many enemies. He was loved by his people and detested by those he had dethroned. He controlled the most powerful army in the world and they had pledged their lives to the kingdom. All the power than Jean-Luc possessed mesmerized Xavier and he wanted a big part of it.

            In the summer of Remy's thirteenth year of age he was sent to the one of the friendly kingdoms neighboring his own while his father took his yearly tour of the kingdom. There he was to learn the ways of the warrior and hone his skills as a fighter every year until his eighteenth birthday. Upon his arrival at Master Logan's, he was surprised and delighted to see that he was not he only one there. Another boy, Kurt, also thirteen years of age, was there along with his eleven-year-old sister, Rogue. Logan and Ororo's daughter, Katherine, was also going to be learning along side Rogue. Logan preferred to teach two boys at a time so that they would be able to spar together. Logan's wife, Ororo, was to help Rogue and Katherine learn the way of the magic arts. Despite having to fight each other on a daily basis, Kurt and Remy became fast friends, which was a good thing since they were rooming together, and Rogue was quickly worming her way into Remy's heart. He realized early on that Amanda only had eyes for Kurt and the two were betrothed anyway. He also learned that, in addition to his fighting skills, Kurt was well on his way to becoming an accomplished mage. He had begun his three-year training program with Ororo at the age of ten, and then continued his training with his father, the Great Mage Eric Lehnsherr. Rogue had started her lessons last year. Eric had wanted Kurt to watch over his sister while away from home so that was why he was training with Logan. Remy enjoyed the time he spent with Rogue, which was often since Kurt spent much of his own free time with Katherine, and soon found himself regretting that he was already spoken for.  The end of summer had come much to fast for them all, and Remy soon found himself taking the unwanted journey home. When he arrived, he silently sent out prayers of thanks that his father would not return for another week. He needed time to get over not seeing Rogue everyday. However, by the time the king returned, Remy was still not over her and became quite nervous when his father quickly summoned him to his study so that he could hear all about his training. Remy recounted his adventures, carefully leaving out all mentions of Rogue, as he did not want his father to become suspicious of his feelings. Needless to say, Remy was quite surprised when his father brought her name into the conversation.

            "I understand that Lady Ororo was training another young girl by the name of Rogue, am I correct?"

            Remy unsuccessfully tried to hide his shock, to the amusement of his father. "Yes, she was."

            "Tell me, Remy, in complete honesty, what did you think of her?"

            Remy knew that he had never, ever been able to blatantly lie to his father so he had no choice but the truth. "She was very," he looked down at his hands, "beautiful." He looked up at his father slowly and was heartened to see the encouraging smile on his face. "She has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen! They remind me of the green jewels in your crown. Some people might think that her hair is quite odd since it is a deep brown with white forelocks but I think it makes her unique. We talked for hours after our training was finished and she didn't think my eyes were scary! She made me feel special for having them instead. Her brother, Kurt, and I are good friends now and he didn't mind all the time I spent with her. But," he looked down again, "I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was already spoken for." Remy heard his father sigh and quickly shut his eyes. 'I'm in trouble now,' he thought. 

            "Remy, look at me." Remy raised his head and opened his eyes. "I didn't know how you felt about being arranged into marriage but with all of the wars at the time of your birth, I could not afford to trust many people in the future. So, when your mother found out she was with child, that is when I started traveling the kingdom, searching out the great seer, Destiny. You see, Destiny is my twin sister that no one knows of. Her ability to see the future makes her a target to all those who would want to try and take our kingdom. When she told me of her visions we traveled to land of Lehnsherr to see the Great Mage." Jean-Luc saw the realization dawn on his son's face. "Yes, I went to see Kurt and Rogue's father. He was a great friend of your grandfather's and served as the chief advisor no one knew about before your grandfather was killed. Destiny foresaw him and his wife having a daughter. I knew that he was someone I could trust so I asked for his consent." Jean-Luc looked at his son who was sitting on the edge of his seat. He took a deep breath, more for effect rather than necessity. "He said-"


	2. Medieval Times Part II

Disclaimer: I am not creative enough to think up these characters so I borrowed them.

Medieval Times – Part II

"-yes."

            Remy felt his heart leap in his chest. "You mean-?"

            "Yes, Rogue is your intended. It was kept secret so no one could try and kill her or her mother. I take my summer journey every year to quell any rising hostility towards us. It is now that I feel it is safe to tell you the truth." Jean-Luc smiled. "Are you happy with my decision?"

            Remy jumped out of his seat and hugged his father. "Thank you." 

            The following summer, Remy was anxious to return to Master Logan's. He couldn't wait to see Rogue again. His father had told him that the Great Mage had agreed to let Remy tell Rogue that they were to be married on Remy's eighteenth birthday. When he arrived, he ran straight to her and twirled her around in a hug. When Remy announced they were to be married, she squealed in joy. Kurt congratulated them and Master Logan said that Lady Ororo had already planned a celebration for them. Training could wait until tomorrow.

            In the middle of the summer, Kurt and Rogue's parents came to meet Remy. They took a great liking to him immediately and the Great Mage was quite happy that he had agreed to their union. Once again, they had a grand celebration. Unfortunately, this one did not end happily. While outside dancing, two arrows zipped through the air, embedding themselves in the hearts of the Great Mage and his wife. Lady Ororo immediate put up a shield to protect everyone else, successfully deflecting two more arrows. Kurt and Rogue ran to their parents. Rogue tried to heal them but it was no use, the tips of the arrows were dipped in poison, killing them instantly. Remy ran up to Master Logan.

            "We have to get to my father's. We will be safe there." Logan looked to his wife.

            "I agree," she said. "Kurt teleport us to the Lebeau castle at once."

            "Wait." Logan walked over to his wife. "Leave me behind. I have to find the assassin or else the rest of you may be in danger. I'll meet you there."

            Ororo wanted to protest but she knew he was right. If the assassin was targeting magic users, her Katherine, Rogue and Kurt were in danger. "Go and be safe. Return to me." She turned to Kurt. "Get us out of here." In a bright shimmer of light, they were gone. 

            Thankfully, Jean-Luc had decided to forgo his yearly journey and was at home when the group appeared in the courtyard. They all ran inside and Remy immediately informed his father. They were all ordered to stay inside the castle walls and group of the kings most trusted knights were sent to find Logan. Three days later they returned with Logan and a prisoner in tow. The prisoner was immediately thrown into the dungeon and Logan and the king went down to interrogate him. They learned that went by the name of Victor Creed and was hired by a man to kill all magic users. He didn't know what his name was; only that he wore a blood red jewel in the shape of a diamond around his neck. Creed was executed sometime during the night. 

            The king decided that it was best if they all stayed with him in the castle. Logan and Ororo could help protect the children. He sent a group of his knights to try and seek out the man who was targeting magic users. For four years they all stayed confined to the castle while all of the other magic users in the world were killed one by one. Someone had spread the rumor that magic wielders were trying to ban together to take over world. The names of all known mages and sorceresses were posted throughout the kingdom. Kurt, Ororo, Katherine and Rogue were forbidden to leave the castle, as nobody knew they were there. By the time Remy's eighteenth birthday rolled around, they four were the only magic users left in the world. They practiced secretly in one of the towers, growing as strong as they could so that they may protect one another. Remy and Kurt continued their tutelage under Logan and became supreme combat fighters. Kurt and Katherine were wed in a very small ceremony, as were Remy and Rogue. The day after Remy and Rogue's wedding, Xavier came to visit Jean-Luc, demanding that the future queen be presented to the public. Xavier was promptly removed from the castle. Not wanting to be denied, Xavier quickly organized Lebeau's people and they demanded that the new queen be revealed. The king was at a loss. By tradition, the future queen was to be formally introduced in a ceremony held in the center of the town. He also knew that the four magic users he harbored were all on the wanted list. Ororo and Logan convinced the king to pacify his people. They felt confident in Ororo and the children's abilities to protect them all. The king grudgingly consented. They rode in two carriages to the center of town the next day. The king, Kurt and Katherine occupied the first while Rogue, Remy, Ororo and Logan rode in the second. All were concealed from head to toe except for the king and his son. The king's knights escorted them all the way to town and formed a tight circle around the two carriages as the passengers dismounted, shielding them from the people's prying eyes. Jean-Luc and Remy ascended the center stage accompanied by two bodyguards. The king looked down to address his people. When he saw who was standing in the front of the stage he could feel the blood drain from his face. There stood Xavier and a cloaked man, _with a blood red jewel in the shape of a diamond hanging from his neck._ Remy, who had been watching his father followed his father's line of sight and felt his own blood run cold. "Oh, no," he thought. "They know."


	3. Medieval Times Part III

Disclaimer: I am not creative enough to think up these characters so I borrowed them.

Medieval Times – Part III

            Remy left his father's side and moved to stand by Rogue. Her face was covered with a veil so that no one could see her face. He held her hand tight. "They know," he whispered in her ear. He felt her grip tighten. He looked to Logan. "They know," he mouthed. Logan caught on and the rest of them walked up behind Rogue. 

            "You all know what to do?" Logan asked. They all nodded. 

            "My loyal subjects," Jean-Luc began. "I know that you are all wondering who I have chosen as my son's bride. They were wed yesterday in our private chapel. It is now time to reveal her all to you. I present to you, your future queen!" 

            Remy and Rogue walked to the front of the stage and stood beside Jean-Luc. Rogue removed her veil and a shocked murmur swept through the crowd.

            "She's a sorceress!" Xavier cried out. Kurt, Katherine and Ororo all stood behind Rogue and removed their coverings. "They're all magic users!" Xavier pointed an accusing finger at the king. "You were keeping them?!" He turned to the people. "My fellow subjects! The king and his son have been coerced by these evil beings! We must kill them and save our kingdom!" The people rallied and tried to storm the stage. The king's knights, who were now circled around the stage, tried to hold them back. The people began hurling stones to the stage. The two bodyguards and Logan tried their best to shield the royal family.

            "Ro! What's going on?!" Logan yelled.

            " We are powerless! Something is blocking our powers!"

            The men on stage tried their best to shield the women but they knew the knights would soon be overpowered. Logan looked around to try and see who could be blocking their powers. His eyes landed upon the man with the blood red jewel, which was now glowing quite bright.

            "The guy with the jewel! I think he's blocking!"

            "Remy! Take Rogue out of here!" Jean-Luc ordered. "They will not hurt you. You can protect her! Go!"

            Remy and Rogue took off towards the carriages. Unsheathing his sword, he freed one of the horses and mounted behind Rogue. They took off, Remy shielding Rogue as much as possible. Some people tried to follow, but were too slow on foot.

            "Kurt!" Logan called. "Get the guy with the jewel!"  Kurt jumped off the stage into the cloaked man, catching him off guard. He took out his dagger to try and get the jewel but felt several hands pull him off and throw him. He tumbled to his feet, taking out his sword in the process. Several people stood in front of him but dared not advance for they were unarmed.

            "Katherine!"

            Kurt looked up to see Ororo clutching his wife, an arrow protruding from her chest. In his distraction the people advanced on Kurt and disarmed him. His passing was quick. 

            Logan tried to pull his wife away but she would not budge. He held her close, his eyes darting about looking for an escape route. When he felt her go limp in his arms he looked down to see an arrow lodged in the space between his two arms that held her close. "Ro! NO!" In a fit of rage he jumped into the crowd, bringing down quite a number of people before he felt the sword plunge through his back.

            Jean-Luc was pulled off the stage by three of his knights and taken back to his castle. Remy and Rogue were there waiting. 

            "Where's everyone else?!" Rogue asked frantically.

            "They're . . . gone. All gone . . . right before my eyes . . . I'm so sorry . . ." He reached out for her but she ran, with Remy close on her heels. 

            Xavier walked straight into the castle alongside the cloaked man. With a wave of his hand, the cloaked man put all of the guards in deep slumber. They spotted Jean-Luc slumped over in his chair. Xavier withdrew his sword and pointed the tip to Jean-Luc's throat while the cloaked man tied him to the chair. "I knew I would get my way. " Jean-Luc looked up defiantly. "Essex," he gestured to the cloaked man, "and I have control of your people now. You see, magic users do have the power to take over the world." Xavier smirked. "And I just happened to find the most powerful of them all." They heard a noise coming in from the courtyard. "Ah, just one more obstacle to overcome." Xavier stalked off. Jean-Luc tried to yell a warning but Essex rendered him unconscious and followed Xavier out.

            Remy and Rogue stood, locked in an embrace. "I love you, Rogue. I always will, no matter what happens."

"I love-" 

Rogue's body sagged against his. He looked up to see Xavier and Essex standing at the end of the courtyard, and a small knife in Rogue's back. He collapsed to the ground, cradling her close to him.

"Chere, please stay with me . . . please . . . God please . . . let her live . . . stay with me . . . " 

"Remy . . . I love you . . . always will . . ."

"Non! Don't talk like that . . . you'll be okay . . . we'll find a way . . ."

"Maybe . . . in another lifetime . . ."

"In every lifetime . . . I'll love you . . ."

When Rogue died in his arms he could do nothing more than clutch her close. He didn't understand. They were supposed to be together! Fate saw it happen, didn't she? They were destined to be together. But now . . . now she was gone.

"I will find you, my love, in every lifetime, until we can finally be together."


	4. Deep South Part I

Disclaimer: I am not creative enough to think up these characters so I borrowed them.

Deep South - Part I

She ran.

            Her footfalls fell silently except for the occasional crunch of leaves. Tears streamed down her face, causing her to run blindly through the thick forest. "This can't be happening," she thought. "Everyone knew how things were supposed to be! How could it turn to this?" The tears soon turned to sobs and she wearily sunk to the ground, her lungs unable to keep up any longer.  She pulled her knees tightly to her chest, trying to quiet the noise her crying was making. She didn't want to be found, a wish that went unnoticed, she found, as two arms enveloped her. 

            "Chere, please don't–"

            "Don't what?" she asked quietly. "Don't be upset? Don't be heartbroken? Don't be devastated? I'm sorry, but I don't think I can quite manage that yet."

            "Hey, you know I can't ask you to do something that I can't do. You know I just can't stand to see you cry."

            They sat for a moment, trying to calm themselves. Finally, she spoke.

            "I just can't believe that it came to this. I thought we would be different. I thought that we had made them see-"

            "See that we're more than pawns in their big game? So did I. But I guess my poppa still has foolish dreams of running the South." He sighed then, and began running his fingers through her curly tendrils, silently wishing that this wasn't the last time he would finger her brown and white tresses.

            "I know. What's so unfair about it is that I know that there is nothing that we can do about it. Family pride should never have to overshadow love!" They sat in silence once again, thinking back to the events that put them in the position they were in now.

            Eric and Raven Lehnsherr were one of the three wealthy families who ruled the Deep South. One night, seventeen years ago a woman whom they only knew as Irene came to their door, on the run from a mob that wanted her dead for witchcraft up north. Upon opening the door, the pregnant woman collapsed in Eric's arms. He quickly discovered that she was in labor and ordered his servants to call on the family midwife. As he laid Irene in one of the spare rooms, the midwife entered. Ororo quickly surveyed the scene. Blood stained Irene's skirts and her breathing was quite labored. Ororo jumped into action, praying she could deliver the baby before the mother was lost. Unfortunately, her prayers went unanswered. Irene used her last breath to push her daughter out. Rogue was born only an hour after Raven gave birth to a stillborn son. Eric and Raven adopted Rogue as their own without hesitation.  Ororo remained on as Rogue's primary caretaker, molding the little girl into what she hoped to be a stunning debutant. Rogue turned out to be a beautiful girl. She looked to be the perfect molding of her adoptive parents, right down to her brown and white streaked hair.

            When Jean-Luc Lebeau and his wife were traveling back to America after visiting some relatives in his native France seventeen years ago, he didn't think the voyage would gain him a son. He was soon proved wrong. While out wandering the ships deck one night, he happened upon a group of the ships servants dragging a small boy towards the edge of the ship. The boy was screaming to be let go but was not obliged. Jean-Luc was horrified to see the men try and hoist the little boy over the edge and immediately intervened. The boy, as it turns out, had been an accused stowaway with strange demon eyes. The servants were terrified and wanted him off the boat immediately. Jean-Luc knew he could not let the boy die so he told the servants he would care for him and paid for their silence. The servants grudgingly agreed and let the boy to Jean-Luc. He brought the two year old back to his wife who immediately fell in love with him. They agreed to raise him as their own, since they had not been able to have any children on their own. Remy, as they named him, was put under the care of his Tante Mattie and was instructed to learn the ways of a proper southern gentleman, as he was now a part of one of the three wealthy families who ruled the Deep South. 

            The Lehnsherrs and the LeBeaus were longtime friends and vacationed with each other once a year. This is how Remy and Rogue came to know each other. By the time Rogue was sixteen and Remy was 18 they were deeply in love. However, the month before Rogue's eighteenth birthday, and subsequent betrothal to Remy, would prove to tear the families' friendship asunder. The third wealthy, and most powerful, family of the Deep South was the House of Xavier. The Lehnsherrs, Lebeaus, and the Xaviers each held one third of the land in the south. When Charles Xavier opened up his own college in Massachusetts, he decided that he should divide his land amongst the other two families. However, Jean-Luc did not agree. He had always wanted power of the South but did not want to cross Xavier. But now the opportunity to rule had presented itself. Xavier also had a daughter, the fiery haired Jean, just three years his son's junior. By betrothing his Remy to Xavier's Jean, he could convince Xavier that giving Jean-Luc his share of the land would act as a sort of dowry for Jean. Xavier was delighted by the idea and quickly summoned a meeting between the three ruling families. When Xavier announced his decision, both Rogue and Remy were devastated. Remy quickly argued that he was supposed to be promised to Rogue, only to learn that her parents had already promised her to another family friend, Scott Summers of New York. Unable to handle anymore, Rogue promptly excused herself and ran out of the house, Remy not far behind. 

From that moment on, Rogue and Remy were forbidden to see each other. However, that did not stop them. They met in secret everyday, telling themselves that it would be the last, but never having the strength to stay away from their secret meeting place. Much too quickly for their liking, Rogue's wedding day soon came. As a show of good grace, Remy was forced to attend with Jean on his arm. They sat in the very back of the church so when Rogue appeared to walk the aisle, Remy was the first to see her.


	5. Deep South Part II

Disclaimer: I am not creative enough to think up these characters so I borrowed them.

Deep South – Part II

And in that moment his heart broke.

She stood on her father's arm, more beautiful than he had ever seen her, with one exception: tears were streaming down her face. Their eyes locked for a moment and Remy wanted more than anything to take her in his arms and run away from there. She silently mouthed 'I love you' and he lost his restraint. He took one step toward the end of the pew, then felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see his father.

"Don't," was the only thing he said.

Still being held down by his father, Remy watched Rogue walk up the aisle, farther and farther away from him. With every step, Rogue felt a piece of her heart fall away. She stood beside her intended and barely heard any of the ceremony until it was time for the vows. 

"Do you, Rogue, take Scott as your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Head down, veil covering her face, she whispered, "I do."

Scott's declaration was not heard over the echo of the church doors slamming shut.

A week after the wedding, Rogue was all packed up to move up North, to her new home. Remy stood off a distance, watching her say good-bye to her parents. Scott was loading up the carriage. They would travel to the coast and take a boat up North. Rogue looked up and saw Remy standing near the edge of the forest that bordered her parents' property. He walked up to her and twirled her around in a big bear hug. 

"I will always be there for you," he whispered before letting go. 

"And I will always love you," she replied. She stepped away from him then and turned to walk toward the carriage. Halfway to the carriage she turned to give him one last smile. 

When the gunshot rang out, Remy felt a hot searing pain lace through his chest.

He turned to see Eric tearing through the forest after a man. Looking back to Rogue he ran to her and was horrified to see the entire bodice of her dress drenched in blood. He cradled her to his body and hugged her close.

"Chere, please stay with me . . . please . . . God please . . . I swear I'll be happy for her marriage if you let her live . . . stay with me . . . " 

"Remy . . . I love you . . . always will . . ."

"Non! Don't talk like that . . . you'll be okay . . . we'll find a way . . ."

"Maybe . . . in another lifetime . . ."

"In every lifetime . . . I'll love you . . ."

When Rogue died in his arms he could do nothing more than clutch her close and weep for his loss. It wasn't fair. They were supposed to be together but everything kept getting in the way. And now . . . now she was gone.

            Remy was shaken from his grief when he heard a body thrown down near him. He looked up to see an anguished Eric looking menacingly at the man on the ground, shotgun pointed at his chest.

            "Why?!"

            "She deserved it! She was a witch and as a Friend of Humanity it is my duty to rid the world of her kind."

            "And as a father it is my duty to rid the world of you."

            Remy didn't even flinch when the blood splattered across his face. 

            The funeral could hardly be called beautiful when he knew his beloved was the one being entombed. When everyone had gone, he remained alone to continue his grief. He kneeled against the door of the tomb and laid a bouquet of magnolias near the base. 

            "I will find you, my love, in every lifetime, until we can finally be together."


	6. Roaring 20's Part I

Thanks to all those who reviewed! You really know how to make a girl feel special. J

Disclaimer: I'm not creative enough to think of these characters so I just borrow them.

Roaring 20's

She ran.

Her footfalls fell silently. Tears streamed down her face, causing her to run blindly through the black void. "This can't be happening," she thought. "Where am I? I can't find my way out!" Everything was so dark. The tears soon turned to sobs and she wearily sunk to the ground, her lungs unable to keep up any longer.  She pulled her knees tightly to her chest, trying to quiet the noise her crying was making. She wanted to be found, a wish that didn't go unnoticed, she found, as two arms enveloped her.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

She opened her eyes. Everything was so dark. "Someone found me!" she thought. She then realized she was sitting on something soft. "Huh? I'm in bed?"

"Rogue?"

"If I'm in bed . . ." She reached out to her right, still being held tight, and felt the lamp on the nightstand. She turned it on. She felt a hand wipe the moisture from her cheeks.

"Baby, you know I can't stand to see you cry. Tell me what's wrong."

She turned in his arms and held him close, his grip on her tightened.

"I'm okay. It was just a bad dream.  It was dark and I was running. I couldn't find anyone and I was so scared."

"Hey, it's okay. You know that'll never happen. You're my girl. I'll make sure you're never lost."

"I know. I was just shaken up by the dream. That's all."

He kissed her on the top of her head and pulled back a little to look into her eyes. "Why don't you take today off? Get some more rest?"

"I can't leave Kurt on his own. It's Friday. Kitty's still out visiting her parents. I've got to cover all her shows and train the new girl until she gets back. And we have the tournament tonight."

"Don't tell me you're waitressing!"

"No, I'm just showing her the ropes and making sure she knows the rules." She pecked him on the cheek and smiled. "Some customers are off limits you know."

"Baby, you know I always got my eye on you." Rogue laughed. It was an old joke between them. Scott's left eye was badly scarred in a deal gone wrong and could no long see out of it. He wore a patch over it to hide the scars. Many thought this gave him a more menacing look but Rogue thought it made him look even more dashing. "Come on. Let's go back to bed." 

Rogue reached over to turn the light off and snuggled next to Scott. They had been together for about four months now but had known each other since they were kids. In the summer of 1920, at the tender age of sixteen, custody of Rogue and her twin brother, Kurt, was transferred to their old family friend Charles Xavier when their parents were lost in a tragic boating accident. Xavier was the wealthiest man in New York and very well respected. He own several banks scattered in the New England area. He also ran one of the most popular speak-easies in all of New York, Club X. He and an old war buddy, James Logan, had partnered up to become one of the largest alcohol suppliers in the United States. Logan based himself in Canada and smuggled the illegal substance to Xavier and he ran distribution. Xavier's best friend, Eric was chief of police and he made sure that his longtime colleague Hank McCoy became mayor. Needless to say, Xavier had no problem running his extra business. Xavier's nephew, Scott "One-Eye" Summers, was his right hand man and ran all of Xavier's illegal activities. Despite being five years her senior, Rogue fell for Scott almost immediately. Scott didn't seem to notice. He was a notorious playboy, seemingly changing girls as often as he changed his socks. It wasn't until five years later, when Rogue became the sultry new singer at Club X, did Scott open his eye and see what he was missing.

Xavier had given permission to Rogue and Kurt to work his club on their eighteenth birthdays.  Kurt, the older of the two by four minutes, went along to watch after his sister, who jumped at the chance. Both were instructed to work the floor first, to get a feel for the type of people who entered the club. They learned to identify the good customers from the troublemakers and how to charm their ways out of a stick situation. They were also taught to keep alert for any important information that circulated through the club. Just because the club was popular didn't mean that it didn't have its enemies. Rogue started out waiting the tables and soon became quite popular with the customers. Despite being only eighteen, she had the body of a full-blown woman, and a sexy one at that. Her eyes sparkled like emeralds and her brown and white-streaked hair only added to the flair that the patrons loved. In addition to managing under Scott, Kurt became one of the joint's hottest bartenders. Six months after their addition, profits had nearly doubled.   

Rogue didn't start singing until three years later. One night their regular performer took ill and there was no time to find a replacement. Kurt, knowing his sister had a great voice, asked her to fill in. She agreed and the crowd had immediately fallen in love with her sexy sound. She quickly became one of three singers Club X showcased. Kitty Pryde was grateful when Rogue agreed to sing. She took two of the five nights of the girl's weekly performances. Wednesdays and Saturdays were jazz nights and Harlem starlet Ororo Munroe regularly crooned to a packed house. 

While Rogue was overjoyed when Scott finally looked her way, Kurt was less than thrilled. Sure, he and Scott were great friends but he knew the guy didn't love his sister like he claimed. Rogue was a hot commodity on and off the stage and Scott would keep her on his arm only if she remained that way. "Keep it while its hot, toss it when its not," was how Scott always put it. Kurt just hoped that Rogue was guarding her heart carefully but highly doubted that she was. 

Rogue walked into the club at a quarter to four. She spotted Kurt setting up a poker table and smiled. "Hey, Kurt! The new girl here yet?"

"No, not yet." Kurt finished setting up the table and walked over to his sister, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I thought you told her four?"

"I did. She still could have come in early." Rogue walked behind the bar and poured herself a glass of water. Kurt sat down on one of the barstools in front of her.

"You didn't come home last night."

"Kurt . . ."

"You know I don't like to meddle and he's my friend and all, but I really don't trust him. I'm just trying to look out for you. I know you've liked him for ages, just like I've known what he's liked. I just think you deserve better."

She sighed. "I know you do, but he's changed. This is the longest he's been with anybody! That's gotta make me pretty special, don't you think?"

"You are special. I just don't want to have to beat him down because he broke my baby sister's heart," he said with a smile.

She smiled back. "I swear you won't have to. I'm being careful. Besides, he knows me. I don't have a problem with him checking out the menu as long as he eats at home." She winked. "It's not like I don't do the same."

"Excuse me, is Miss Rogue here?"

Both looked up to see a girl standing nervously in the doorway. "No wonder Scott hired her," Kurt thought. He looked over to his sister and hoped she wasn't thinking the same thing. Unfortunately, it was apparent that she was. The girl was gorgeous. Not like Rogue's 'sultry siren' gorgeous or Kitty's 'sweet and innocent' gorgeous or even Ororo's 'exotic Nubian princess' gorgeous. She was more along the lines of 'pure as snow, forbidden fruit' gorgeous. She had long, flowing, flame red hair and porcelain smooth skin. Her eyes were probably a shade lighter than Rogue's own emerald green ones but no less entrancing. Her body was a bit on the slim side but still curvaceous in all the right places. To top it all off, she just had that look that made it so you couldn't even hate her if you tried.

Rogue cleared her throat and flashed a bright smile. "That'd be me! You must be the new girl, right?"

The girl visibly relaxed a bit and smiled back. "Yes, I'm Jean Grey, the new waitress."


	7. Roaring 20's Part II

Whoa, Nelly! It's a longer one. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I'm not creative enough to think of these characters so I just borrow them.

Roaring 20's – Part II

"She's not competition, she's not competition, she's not competition . . ." Rogue chanted in her head.

As if he heard her, Kurt whispered, "She ain't got nothing on you."

Rogue flashed him a grateful smile and strode confidently from behind the counter. She walked up to Jean and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Jean. That gentleman over there is my brother, Kurt. He runs the bar and acts as the assistant manager to the club. Do you have any experience?"

Jean shook her head. "Not really. I've just served guests when my parents have parties. I've never had a real job at it. I'd venture to say that I'm pretty good at balancing trays and stuff, though."

Rogue smiled and patted the girl's arm. "Don't worry. I had zero experience when I first started. The visitors pretty much know who's a regular and who's new so they'll go easy on you, service wise. No doubt they'll try to get under your skin just to see how much you can take. Just flash them a pretty smile and try to flirt your way out of a bad deal and you'll be okay. Now just follow me. We'll get you all dolled up for tonight."

Jean followed Rogue through a door next to the stage. Inside the room was a large dressing area, complete with a changing screen and four vanities. Hundreds of gowns lined the far wall, all sequenced by color and length. A small bathroom was situated near the door. Rogue opened a door next to one of the vanities and pulled out a short, thin-strapped dress. "Here, put this on."

Jean moved behind the changing screen and quickly put on her uniform. She reemerged and Rogue surveyed her look. The dress came right above her knees and was then trimmed with about an inch of fringe. It was bright red satin, complementing her hair color, and very sequined. The waistline was dropped and the neckline hovered right above her breasts. The dress was snug at the chest as not to expose much when she served but then fell straight down to her knees. Not really the form fitting type of dress that the singers donned. "Not too bad," Rogue thought. "How do you like it?"

Jean looked in one of the mirrors. "I like it very much but I feel like I'm wearing really fancy underwear."

Rogue laughed. "You get used to it. Sit down and we'll go over some of the rules." They sat at the vanities. "As you know, our joint is not exactly on the good side of the law. This makes your job more than just being a waitress. You've gotta keep your eyes and ears open for any potential threats to the club. We don't really have a problem with the cops but we do have competition. We really don't expect you to catch anyone but we just wanted to give you a heads up." Jean nodded. "Okay. As far as interacting with the customers, it's up to your comfort level. We don't make you try and be friends with them. If you just want to serve, that's okay. If anyone gets too friendly, though, just tell Kurt or Scott and they'll take care of it. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays we open at six and go until about one or two, depending on the size of our crowd. Every other day it's seven to midnight. What shifts do they got you working?"

"Friday, Monday and Wednesday for now."

"Not bad. You get to work with all the singers. I sing on Fridays and Sundays and Ro is our Jazz singer on Wednesdays and Saturdays. On Saturdays I'm here as extra help. I don't waitress anymore but will help serve our regulars. I'm mostly with Scott entertaining. Kitty sings every other day of the week. She'll be back on Sunday so you'll get to see her on Monday. We have five other girls serving in addition to you and they're all real sweet. No doubt they'll welcome you with open arms." Rogue gave her an assuring smile. "Tonight is our annual poker night. Anyone can join, but it's a first come, first serve basis. Because of the event, we're opening at five. We expect a lot of people so don't feel overwhelmed. Oh, and as a general rule, try to have everyone's drinks refreshed before eight. That's when the singing starts and most people don't like to be interrupted during the show." Rogue stood up. "So, you think you're ready?"

Jean managed a small smile. "I guess so. I'm just nervous about messing up."

"Don't be. You'll be fine."

*****************

By six o'clock the club was in full swing. Only five more entrants were needed for the tournament to get started. Jean was fitting in quite nicely and Rogue found herself enjoying their occasional chats. The girl was still a bit nervous but was flowing through the job very well. She was getting along with the other waitresses and was slowly opening up to the customers. 

Meanwhile, a pair of eyes scanned the crowd from the bar. After entering himself into the tournament he figured it would be best to conduct his business before it started. He soon spotted One Eye sitting in far corner with several other gentlemen. Before heading over he grabbed his drink off the bar and polished it off, rolling the taste around in his mouth. "My contacts were right," he thought. "X does have the best." He stood to walk over to the far table when he was distracted by the sound of melodious laughter. He looked around and let his eyes land upon the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. His eyes traveled up her shapely body to look at her face. He could only see her profile but could not miss the full red lips and bright green eyes twinkling from her recent amusement. Her silky hair was tied up in a bun, showing off what he figured to be equally silky skin. Something about her seemed strikingly familiar. "Do I know her . . .?" He turned to the man at the bar. "Excuse me, sir, but can you tell me who that lovely green-eyed beauty over there is?"

Kurt followed the man's line of sight and saw his sister standing with Jean. "I'm sorry, sir. You're going to have to be more specific than that." 

The man looked again and saw that the lovely vision was standing with another girl with green eyes as well. "Ah, yes, I see what you mean. Didn't notice her the first time around. I was referring to the one with what I believe is a white streak through her hair." 

Kurt eyed his sister and sighed. "That's my sister, Rogue. She is one of the singers here. I would leave her alone if I were you. She's taken."

He looked at the stunning beauty once more. "Taken? I have no doubts about that. She is quite breath taking. Do you think that she would ever change her mind about her current beau?"

Kurt looked over at his sister as well. "I highly doubt it. She's One-Eye's girl. They've been together for a while now."

Remy was surprised but not at all dissuaded. From what he had heard, Scott was every bit the ladies man that he himself was. "Then again," he thought, "I'd be willing to bet that she'd be all the woman I needed. No wonder why Scotty boy is still hanging on to her."

Jean looked over to the bar and saw Kurt and another man looking their way. She nudged Rogue a bit. "I think you have an admirer." Rogue looked up to the bar. True to what she said, Kurt and another man were watching them. Kurt gave a small wave while the man winked at her. She blushed unconsciously and gave a small wave before turning back to Jean. Jean looked at the man and then back at Rogue. "He's quite handsome. Maybe you should go say hi."

Rogue shook her head. "No, I can't. Don't want to get the nice man in trouble with Scott now."

"Oh, come on. A little interaction with the customers doesn't hurt. He probably just wants to be friends."

Rogue snuck a peak at the man. She had to admit he was quite attractive. His muscular frame could still be identified through the finely tailored suit he wore. He looked to be quite tall, probably about six feet. His chiseled features rivaled Scott's own but it was his enchanting eyes that had captured Rogue's attention. They were a soft red on black. Something about those eyes . . .  "Wow," she breathed.

Jean's ears perked up. "What was that?"

"Nothing. Maybe I'll say hi later." Rogue slipped away into the dressing room.

Remy watched her go. "Until next time." He walked over to Scott's table, which now only occupied three people. "Good evening, Mr. Summers. I was told that you would be expecting me." He extended his hand. "Remy Lebeau from New Orleans." 

Scott stood and shook his hand. "Yes, Mr. Lebeau, please have a seat. Meet my accountant, Robert Drake, and our production manager, Warren Worthington." Then men exchanged pleasantries. Scott then spoke up.

"I understand you are looking for a supplier?"

"Yes. Our previous supplier has proved to be less than stellar manufacturers. I have sampled what you have to offer and I am quite impressed."

Scott nodded. "Good. I'm glad you like it."

They continued on for about fifteen more minutes, working out the details. They were interrupted when Kurt called for all tournament players to sit down at the tables. The four gentlemen proceeded to get up and sat at four different tables. Kurt surveyed the room. There were a total of five tables set up, five players each, in the center of the room, right in front of the stage. All of the participants were taking their seats. The other club patrons were seated at the tables lining the walls. A small area had been cleared as a makeshift dance floor. Up on stage, Kurt cleared his throat.

"Welcome to our annual poker tournament. As you can see, we have a total of twenty-five participants. Each table will play five games, with no bets being placed. The person with the most wins will advanced to the winners' table in set up in the middle. It is in this game that the bet placing will be allowed. The person who can achieve three consecutive wins will be proclaimed winner. In addition to the winnings at the table, the winner will be awarded $100. In order to assure fairness and kill any suspicion of cheating I ask that all players remove their jackets and roll up their sleeves for the duration of the tournament." The players did so, hanging their jackets on the back of their chairs. "I would also like all tables turned over so that the players may see nothing has been placed under them." The tables were turned and when each player had inspected them to their satisfaction, they turned them back. "Alright gentlemen! Take you seats and let the tournament begin. Best of luck to you all!" Five waitresses stepped up to the tables, all holding a fresh deck of cards. They laid out each card face up to show the players that the deck was a complete set of fifty-two. Once done, they gathered the cards together and left them in the center of the table for the elected dealer to shuffle. Rogue walked over to Scott and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"For luck," she said.

"Thanks, baby," he said, keeping his attention focused on the cards dealt to him. Rogue wandered around to the other tables, greeting the players and wishing them all good luck. When she finally reached the table Remy was sitting at, she stopped to address her accused admirer.

"I hear that you have been asking about me, sir."

He looked up to see Rogue smiling down at him. "That smile seems so familiar . . ." He smiled in return.

"Why yes, _mademoiselle_. I wanted to congratulate the woman who was able to tame the great Scott Summers. Remy Lebeau. It is most certainly my pleasure to meet you." Concealing his cards with one hand, he used the other to take her own hand and planted a soft kiss on her knuckles. 

The velvety softness of his lips set her skin afire. She graciously took her hand back and tried to fight the blush invading her skin to no avail. Seeing her change in skin color only made Remy's grin wider.

"Likewise, Mr. Lebeau. Well, I must be on my way but I wanted to wish all you the best during the tournament."

"A kiss for luck, _chere_?" He really wasn't sure why he called her that. It just sounded appropriate.

"I'm sorry, but that has already been given up to another." She winked at him before sauntering off to the bar, a bit more swing to her hips.

Kurt watched his sister walk towards him. When she was within hearing distance, he spoke. 

"I saw that."

Rogue feigned innocence. "Saw what?"

"You're still blushing you know."

She put a hand to her face. True to his word, she could still feel the heat. "It's nothing, Kurt."

"Sure doesn't look like nothing. Planning on playing with fire?"

"No, I'm not."

"Pity, you should, with the way you are with him and with the way he's drooling all over you. He's quite taken with you, you know."

"He was not drooling over me and it was just a little harmless flirting. I wouldn't do that to Scott."

Not looking at his sister, Kurt replied, "Just like I'm sure he wouldn't do that to you."

Rogue followed his gaze and saw Jean at Scott's table taking orders. Scott was unsuccessfully trying to coax Jean onto his knee. 

For some reason, this didn't bother her as much as it should.

***************

Around the beginning of the third game for most of the tables, Rogue ascended the stage. She would only be singing one song tonight and hoped that her choice didn't distract the players too much. When the music started she closed her eyes and let the words flow out of her mouth. 

Sweet one, fairer than the flowers,  
Never will I meet one sweeter than you.  
Would you turn away or could you  
Really every care, If I'd ever dare  
To say, "I Love you?"

She opened her eyes and found herself staring straight into Remy's familiar ones.

If the nightingales could sing like you,  
They'd sing much sweeter than they do,  
For you brought a new kind of love to me.

If the Sandman brought me dreams of you,  
I'd want to sleep my whole life through,  
For you brought a new kind of love to me.

Rogue looked for Scott and saw him completely engrossed in the game.

I know that you're the queen, and I'm the slave,  
And yet you will understand  
That underneath it all  
You're a maid, and I am only a man.

I would work and slave the whole day through  
If I could hurry home to you;  
For you brought a new kind of love to me.

The listeners applauded quietly as to not rouse the players and Rogue stepped off the stage. She sat at the bar chatting idly with Kurt as they waited on the last table. Each player had won one game apiece and were finishing off the sixth game. When they were done Kurt walked up to the stage to congratulate all the players.

"You have all done very well. May I please have all of the winners from each table stand?"

They stood, with Remy and Scott's friend, Robert, among the five. 

"You gentlemen have advanced to the winner's table. We will break for a couple of minutes and then conclude the tournament."

Remy walked over to the bar and sat down by Rogue. "That's some voice you got there, _chere_."

She flashed him a sunny smile. "Thank you. Congratulations, by the way. You're table seemed to be done quite quickly."

He chuckled. "That we were. It seemed to me that I was seated at the table with the lightweight drinkers. They were so drunk that I was able to win the first three games, enough to be the winner."

"Too bad all the lightweights weren't at your table."

Both turned at the new voice and saw Robert and Warren walking towards them. "Hey, Rogue. Scott's had a bit too much to drink. I'm going to take him home," Warren told her.

"Okay, I'll help Kurt close up. Oh, and can you tell Scott I'm sleeping at my house tonight? I don't want him to worry when I don't show."

"No problem." Warren cracked a smile. "That's probably a good idea anyway. Last time I saw him this drunk he woke up the next morning and didn't quite make it to the bathroom, if you know what I mean."

Rogue laughed at that. "Don't I know. Take care of him for me, Warren."

"Don't worry I will."

Warren left but Robert took the other seat next to Rogue and ordered a water. She patted his arm.

"Good job, Bobby. Maybe you'll give Mr. Lebeau here a run for his money." Before either could say anything Rogue told Remy, "Bobby here was last year's winner."

"Well now," Remy started, "I didn't know I would be facing the defending champion."

"I don't know how well I'm going to defend it this year," he admitted. "The people I had to play with were giving _me_ a run for my money." They all shared a laugh. "Well, I'll see you at the table, Remy. Oh and Remy," he said as he walked away, "watch out for Pietro. He looks to have a short fuse tonight."

Remy looked confused. "Who's Pietro?"

Rogue sipped her water. "He's one of the other winners. Silver-haired guy. Really competitive and self-proclaimed ladies' man. I personally think he's trouble. Had to turn him down a few times. Just doesn't know how to respect a lady." 

He seized one of her hands in his. "He disrespected you? Don't worry, _chere_, I'll be sure to put him in his place." He kissed her hand lightly again. "If you'll excuse me, I have to return to the tournament." He smiled at her before turning towards the tables. Rogue watched him walk away. "_Chere_," she thought. "Why does it feel so right to be called that?"

**************

It was around one thirty in the morning and tension in the club was running high. The winners were on their fifth game. True to his prediction, Bobby proved to be a less than worthy competitor. Pietro had won the first two long, drawn out games, but Remy had bounded back, winning the next two in quick succession. Right now they were both vying for the fifth game win. The other three players had folded some time ago. The pot was rumored to be around $100 already and both men were not backing down. Since all of the remaining patrons were all engrossed in the game, Kurt had sent all of the waitresses home at one. Anyone who still wanted a drink could come to the bar. Rogue had pulled up a stool and was perched behind Bobby. She looked at the stack of chips sitting in the middle of the table. "We have some definite high rollers here," she thought.

"Well," Pietro said, breaking the silence, "I do believe it is time to show our cards." He laid down his cards. The crowd gasped. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lebeau, but it looks like your victory will just have to wait." In front of him laid a straight flush, nine to King, in spades.

Remy whistled. "Well, well, well. It looks like you weren't bluffing after all." Pietro smirked. He moved to reach for the chips when Remy interrupted him. "However, as you can see," Remy laid down his cards, "neither was I." Pietro was dumbstruck. In front of Remy lay a royal flush in hearts. It was his turn to smirk. "Looks like I win."

The crowd erupted in applause. Pietro's could do nothing but hang his head in defeat. Both got up and shook hands. "You put up a good game, Mr. Lebeau."

"Ah, but so do you." Remy replied. "You had me on the run for a bit."

Pietro pulled out his wallet and paid what he owed. He then turned and filed out the door along with the dispersing crowd. Rogue was glad to see him go without any trouble. She walked over to Remy and asked him to stay behind so that he could be paid his award. When the last patron had exited Kurt locked the front door. Remy was seated at the bar, waiting for Rogue to return with his earnings. When she returned she handed Remy a crisp $100 bill. He took the money and quickly put it away. Upon returning his attention to her, he saw that she was yawning. "You look tired. I would be more than happy to escort you home." 

Rogue found herself not being able to resist the offer. "You know, I'd like that. Let me just go tell my brother." She walked over to Kurt where he was wiping down the tables. "I'm really tired. Remy's going to walk me home, okay?"

Kurt looked over at Remy. "I suppose. I'll be home soon anyway. He seems quite nice, you know. The way he's been looking at you all night makes me think he would kiss the ground you walk on if it was acceptable."

"Stop it, Kurt!" She kissed him on the cheek. "See you at home."

Rogue walked back over to Remy and together they walked out the back door and down the alley leading to the street. Being the gentleman he was, he had offered his arm to her and she had accepted. They walked along the sidewalk all smiles, unaware of the car sitting across the street. The figure in the car glowed with anger. 

"Enjoy it while it lasts, for it won't last long."

This is where I got the idea for the waitress outfits:

The song Rogue sings:

You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me  
Maurice Chevalier

Thanks for all the reviews!


	8. Roaring 20's Part III

Disclaimer: I'm not creative enough to think of these characters so I borrowed them.

Roaring 20's – Part III

Rogue woke up the next morning on cloud nine. Remy was a complete gentleman when he walked her home. They talked the entire time. She had learned that he was from New Orleans and was here on business for his father. They owned a few high-class clubs down south. When she had inquired about his current love life, basically asking whether or not he was taken, she knew he was being honest when he told her that there once was one who had stolen his heart, but they were no longer together. He completely respected the fact that she was technically still with Scott, even though being around Remy was really making her start to question her relationship with him. She had told him about her and her brother and how they were like best friends, always looking out for one another since their parents died. He knew her birthday, her favorite color and her favorite flower. Rogue had tried not to say too much, not because she was trying to hide anything, but because she loved hearing him speak. His voice was music to her ears and she couldn't get enough. When they had reached her house, he politely stopped at the bottom of the porch and kissed her hand in good-bye. She wasn't quite ready to give up his company just yet and invited him in. At first he strongly declined, citing that a proper gentleman does not enter a lady's domain upon their first meeting, but when a ghost of a pout appeared on her lips his resolve quickly melted. They sat in the front parlor, on separate couches, for another couple of hours just talking. When Kurt had come home he had joined in the conversation for a bit before heading into the kitchen to get something to eat. Remy had made her smile and he had made her laugh. What she loved most, though, is that he made her feel beautiful and special. The way he looked at her always sent shivers up her spine. The intensity of his gaze could be overwhelming at times. He always encouraged her to speak, wanting to hear what she had to say. Scott never sat down and just talked with her. In, fact in the entire four months they had been together, they never had a decent conversation. By the time Remy had left, Rogue felt stupid for even dating Scott.

She got out of bed and freshened up. She then wandered over to the kitchen, hoping her brother was in there. Just her luck, he was. "Morning, Kurt."

He looked up from the paper. "More like good afternoon. I take it you had a fun night?"

After pouring herself a cup of juice she sat down next to him. "I did. I actually had a great night. But you were right. I'm playing with fire. I don't know what to do about Scott. I realize now that I've liked him for so long that I couldn't see all of his flaws. I don't even know if I was happy with him."

Kurt put down the paper and looked at his sister. "You were happy with him, Rogue. I just don't know if it was because he made you happy or the fact that he finally noticed you. But last night, I knew you were happy because Remy made you feel that way. That's how it should be. Now, I won't go as far as to suggest that you stop seeing Scott just to start seeing Remy because that's a bit of a hasty decision. I like Remy but I don't know him. All he is right now is a business contact who really likes my sister. I knew he wouldn't hurt you because of the business part and I was okay with you inviting him in because of how he feels for you. And even though I really don't like the fact that you are dating Scott, he is my friend as well."

"I know, I know. But the more I think about it, the more it seems that Scott doesn't like me for who I am. I think he just likes the way he looks with me. We don't talk, we don't go out. And I don't even care what he does anymore. I saw him blatantly trying to grope Jean last night and it didn't even bother me!"

"Are you really noticing those things or is Remy clouding your judgment?"

"No. I spent a lot of time last night thinking it over. I always thought Scott was so charming and debonair. But then I realized he was only like that with me when other people were around. Don't get me wrong, he is sweet and he does take care of me, just not in the way I want to be taken care of. With Remy, I feel like a true lady. He makes me feel like I deserve to be treated like a princess, not like some lounge singer. With him, everything feels right. With Scott, I tried so hard to make everything feel right."

Kurt thought for minute. "If you do break it off with Scott, I don't think he will like the fact that he was replaced with another man. I told you not to get into a relationship with him! This is going to be difficult."

"Not if I can get him to leave me first. Maybe he'll go after Jean. He was trying last night."

"Yes, but how does Jean feel? I thought she was a little put off by him."

"It could be because she knows I'm with him." She signed. "I think I just have to break it off with Scott."

Kurt turned back to his paper. "Well, I guess that will just have to wait. If I'm not mistaken, he was supposed to leave for Canada an hour ago with X and Warren to talk to Mr. Logan. They'll be gone the whole week."

Rogue crossed her arms. "Glad he didn't tell me. See?! And he didn't even have the decency to say goodbye! Argh!" she said throwing her hands in the air.

"You know, you're making an awfully big decision. What's so special about Remy that would cause a complete change in your view of Scott?" he asked quietly.

She calmed down and looked at her brother. What was it about Remy? She looked down at her juice. "Do you believe in soul mates?"

This, Kurt was not expecting. He looked at her. "Soul mates? You think Remy is your soul mate?"

Making eye contact with her twin, she continued. "I'm not sure. When I first saw him, it felt like I knew him from somewhere. The more I talked to him, the more I felt like I should know him. His eyes, his laugh, the way he talks, the way he smells, everything about him seems so familiar it's eerie. When he called me _chere_ I identified with it, even though I know no one has ever called me that before. I felt like my heart was calling out to him and last night all I wanted was to be with him forever. The feel of his hand on mine felt so right. And you know what the weird thing is? Knowing and feeling all of this does not scare me in the least. I've never felt like this with Scott. Every fiber of my being wants to be in love with Remy but my mind keeps telling me I've known him less than a day. I don't really know if this means he's my soul mate but I would really like to find out."

He reached over and took his sister's hands in his. "Rogue, you are my sister and you know I support you in whatever you do. As your big brother, you know I don't like what you have with Scott but I don't know what to make Remy either. I know how Scott is and that's why I want you to be cautious. On the other hand, he is gone for the rest of this week. Remy did say last night that he was planning on stay the rest of the week as well. Maybe you should take this opportunity to see what may happen. If things don't work out, then your parting with Scott should not seem so bad. If things do work out, then I will do my best to help you get away from Scott."

Smiling, Rogue reached out and hugged him. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear before pulling away. "I really owe you." Suddenly, her smile got wider. "You know, Kitty is-"

Kurt covered his ears. "Stop it right there. We are not talking about Kitty."

Rogue just laughed.

**********

Remy's eyes scanned the crowd, not looking for Scott this time, but instead in search of Scott's girl. "Scott's girl," he thought. "Our little tryst could definitely blow the whole deal we have set up." But right now, Remy could care less. After spending five consecutive nights in Rogue's company, he didn't doubt he would shoot Scott himself just to get him out of the way. Rogue was the one and he wasn't going to fight how he felt about her. Just being with her made him feel whole. Everything about her called out to him and he gave back fully. He could not shake the feelings of familiarity and rightness he had whenever they were together and finally just reasoned that they were meant to be. Her hair, her smile, those deep green eyes . . .

Suddenly, a pair of soft hands covered his eyes and a voice whispered in his ear, "Guess who?" He knew that voice.

Smiling, he brought one of Rogue's hands down to his lips and kissed it. "I've been looking for you."

Rogue leaned down and pecked him on the cheek before sitting down next to him. "I had to introduce the new girl to Ro. I think they get along pretty well. Jean is actually doing pretty well here. All the customers seem to really like her, but then again, who wouldn't. She's a pretty little thing."

"Ah, but she will never be nearly as beautiful as you," he replied, planting a kiss in her palm. Rogue had the grace to blush. They chatted for a while until Ororo's heavenly voice drifted over to them. 

"May I have this dance, _chere_?" She nodded and they walked out to the dance floor. They held each other close, Rogue's head resting on his right shoulder. He could feel her breath on his neck and his desire for her quickly multiplied ten-fold.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked softly. He felt her nod and continued. "I know it may sound crazy, but I love you. I'm in love with you. I feel like I've known you forever and I know it's only been less than a week. I feel like we belong together."

Rogue kissed him on the neck. "It doesn't sound crazy. I feel the exact same way. My heart's been calling out to you since day one. I've loved you from the moment we met. I don't know why, but it just feels right."

Remy was singing inside at her admission. He wanted nothing more than to be with this woman. If only . . .  "I know that Scott-"

She put a finger up to his lips to silence his words. "I don't want to be with Scott anymore. I just want to be with you."

He kissed her finger before moving it away from his lips. "I understand, but won't he be upset? Will our being together put you in danger?"

"I'm in no more danger than you are. We're both messing with his reputation and you have a business deal to worry about." She sighed and held him tighter. "But I don't want to think about that right now. I just want to think about us." To prove her point she met her lips with his and all thoughts of Scott drained away, for both of them.

**********

They stood outside her front door, locked in an embrace. Remy broke it, reluctantly, and brought her hand to his lips.

"Until tomorrow, my love."

"No."

Remy looked up from her hand, a bit surprised. He could not meet her eyes for she was looking down at the ground. "No?"

"Stay with me." It came out in a faint whisper but loud enough for him to hear.

As much as he wanted to say yes, he let his gentleman instincts take over. "Rogue, I don't think-"

She raised a hand to his face and stroked it softly. "Please?" she asked, the pleading evident in her eyes as she looked up at him. He could only nod in return. She led him through the front door and straight to her room, making sure to lock the door behind them.

In the wee hours of the morning they laid together in a tangled mess of sheets and limbs. Her hand grazed up and down his bare chest while his fingers combed through her silken strands. I never want this to end," she said after a while.

He closed his eyes for a moment. "It doesn't have to," he replied quietly. He gently moved her body on top of his so that he could look at her face. "Ever since I've been up here, I've spent every evening with you and that has spoiled me so much that I don't want it to end, either. I'm leaving in three days and I can't stand the idea of leaving you behind. It would make me the happiest man in the world if you would come with me." He reached up and cupped her face in his hands and smiled. "Rogue, will you marry me?"

She gazed back at him and smiled. "Only if we can get married today."

He laughed. "Anything for you."

Unable to contain her excitement any longer, she squealed in delight and kissed him soundly. When she pulled back and looked at him, the extreme giddiness they both felt caused them to erupt into a fit of giggles. When they had calmed down, Remy held her body close.

"I do have a ring for you. It's somewhere on the floor in my jacket."

"You bought me a ring?"

"Yeah. I picked it up on Monday. I had a feeling I might be needing it."

"Someone was feeling pretty confident," she said playfully.

He rolled them over so that he was leaning over her. A hand came up to trace the contours of her face. "Not confident. Just listened to what my heart was telling me about the beautiful girl I met on Friday night." He bent down to capture her lips with his own and she responded with equal passion.

Daylight was already peaking through the windows when they finally retired to bed.

By one o'clock they were down at the courthouse. They had stopped to get new outfits for the ceremony and to pick up a pair of wedding bands. Rogue was currently wearing her engagement ring and was in awe of how beautiful it was. The princess cut diamond shone brilliantly in the sunlight and the two smaller cut diamonds on either side of it only added to the sparkle. The platinum band fit her finger perfectly, much to her surprise. "How did you know what size to get?"

Remy looked at her and winked. "Just knew."

The judge stepped up then and began the ceremony.

"We are gathered today to witness the union between Remy Lebeau and Rogue Adler. Marriage is a sacred union between two people who feel great love and devotion for one another. True love is a very powerful emotion that only grows over time and is too strong to be quelled by hardship. The beauty of love this couple has chosen to express through the words written in

1 Corinthians, verse thirteen. 

_If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,  
but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.   
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,   
and if I have a faith that can move mountains,  
but have not love, I am nothing.   
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,   
but have not love, I gain nothing.   
Love is patient,  
love is kind.  
It does not envy,  
it does not boast,  
it is not proud.  
It is not rude,  
it is not self-seeking,  
it is not easily angered,  
it keeps no record of wrongs.  
Love does not delight in evil  
but rejoices with the truth.   
It always protects,  
always trusts,  
always hopes,  
always perseveres.   
Love never fails.  
But where there are prophecies,  
they will cease;  
where there are tongues,  
they will be stilled;  
where there is knowledge,   
it will pass away.   
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  
but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.  
When I was a child, I talked like a child,   
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  
When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.   
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror;  
then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,  
even as I am fully known.   
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  
But the greatest of these is love. ___

Faith hope and love are what these two pledge to one another, in addition to the vows they now take. Do you, Remy, take Rogue to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Remy held her hands and smiled. "I do."

"And do you, Rogue, take Remy to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Holding back tears, Rogue managed a shaky "I do."

The judge nodded and reached into his pocket. As he pulled the rings out, one slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground. Remy and Rogue exchanged a look.* The judge did not notice their exchange and tried to smooth over his blunder. "These rings shall serve as a symbol of your unity. Remy, take this ring and, placing it on Rogue's finger, repeat after me: take this ring as a sign of my faithful devotion to you."

Slipping the ring on slowly, he repeated, "Take this ring as a sign of my faithful devotion to you."

"Rogue, take this ring and, placing it on Remy's finger, repeat after me: take this ring as a sign of my faithful devotion to you."

She also pushed the ring slowly down his finger and repeated, "Take this ring as a sign of my faithful devotion to you."

"By the power vested in me, by the State of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You make kiss the bride."

Remy wasted no time in heeding the judge's permission and quickly swept his new wife into his arms. After a fairly lengthy kiss, they parted and he rested his forehead against hers. "I love you."

"I love you," she whispered back.

Both thanked the judge and left the courthouse. They stopped at a nearby restaurant for their 'first lunch as a married couple' before heading over to the club to spread the good news. Rogue thought they might be a little early to see anyone else at the club since it was only four thirty but she was delighted to see her brother and Kitty talking at the bar. Leaving Remy's side, she rushed over to Kitty and gave the girl a hug. "Kitty! You're back! How are you?"

The other girl smiled and returned the hug. "I'm great. I was just telling Kurt that I would be coming in tonight to relieve you." Remy came up behind Rogue and she returned to his side, snaking her arm through his. Confusion clouded Kitty's features but her smile persisted. "I take it that I missed a lot while I was gone?"

"It seems that I have missed something as well," Kurt added, eying his sister's glittering finger.

Holding her head up high, Rogue regarded her brother. She held out her left hand so Kurt and Kitty could get a better look. "We got married today, and we came by to tell you the good news."

Kurt and Kitty gawked at the ring, utterly speechless. For a moment the room was eerily silent, until Kitty spoke up first.

"Uh, congratulations?" She looked apologetic. "I'm sorry but I don't even know who this guy is."

It was Rogue's turn to apologize. "I'm sorry, Kit! This is Remy Lebeau. We met-"

"-less than a week ago."  Kurt finished.

"Kurt," Rogue started.

"Give me a minute, please. My baby sister just got married. That's the last thing I expected to hear today."

She just sighed and turned back to Kitty. She and Remy began to recount the past few days leading up to their surprise marriage. So engrossed was everyone in the story that no one noticed the figure that slipped through the door until the gunshot rang out and Rogue slumped against Kitty, wincing in pain. Kurt immediately pulled a pistol from behind the counter but quickly dropped it when he was hit in the shoulder. After helping to lower Rogue to the floor and shielding both her and Kitty with his body, Remy turned and looked for their assailant. When he spotted the figure holding two revolvers, his face visibly paled. "No," he whispered.

 "Who is that?" Kitty asked, speaking low behind his kneeling form.

"Belladonna." He supplied through gritted teeth. "She's the crazy witch I dated until she killed my brother."

"I heard that," Belladonna said, keeping both guns trained on him.

"What are you doing here, Belle?" Remy demanded, his temper growing rapidly.

"You said you didn't want to be with me anymore because of what happened to your brother. Now I know the real reason."

"It's not like that and you know it! You killed my brother in cold blood!"

"That's only because I thought you killed Julien!"

"Julien is not dead and he attacked me first! He wasn't even pronounced dead at the hospital before you went after Henri!"

"I didn't think he was going to make it!"

"Well he did and now I have no brother! AND NOW YOU HAVE JUST SHOT MY WIFE!" Remy's eyes glowed a bright red. Fear flickered in Belle's eyes.

"You don't love her!" she pleaded. "You love me!"

"No," he replied coldly. "You have that backwards. I HATE you. You are nothing but a crazy, vindictive-"

Before he could finish his rant, one of Belle's guns went off and he was shot in the side. He teetered back a little but did not fall. 

"Enough!" Kurt cried and pulled the trigger. Belle stumbled to the ground after three bullets pierced her chest, staining her blouse with a dark shade of red. 

"Kitty, find a doctor!" Kurt ordered as he jumped the bar and strode over to Belle, keeping his gun pointed at her in case she moved.

"I think it may be too late . . ."

"I don't care! Just go!"

Kitty ran out of the room and Remy moved to cradle Rogue in his arms. Their blood pooled together on the floor but Remy took no notice.

"Rogue," he croaked weakly, "stay with me."

Her eyes were a bit glazed over but she still spoke. "Is it supposed to happen like this . . . ? . . . we were so close this time . . . when will our love be enough . . .?"

Blood began to dribble down her cheek and his own head began to lighten at the loss in blood, but he took no notice. "No! It's more than enough. You just gotta stay with me . . ."

She looked into his eyes. "Tell Kurt goodbye for me . . ."

"God, no . . ."

"We'll find each other again . . . maybe . . . in another lifetime . . ."

"In every lifetime . . . I'll love you . . ."

"I'll find you . . . I . . . love . . . you . . ."

Kitty returned to see Kurt looking nearly catatonic. The loss of his twin sister was too much and the shock swiftly overcame him.

Remy howled in anguish. "I will find you, my love, in every lifetime, until we can finally be together," he whispered one last time before he passed out from the loss of blood. 

He never woke up.

**********

*A dropped ring usually serves as a bad omen over the marriage. 

The Bible owns the passage from Corinthians.

To the wonderful reviewers: Thanks for all the words of encouragement!


	9. Back to Bayville Part I

Author's Note: Thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews, and a big thanks to all of you who pointed out my little mistake (I have no idea why I made Remy a wife). Your words really do mean a lot and really motivate me to write more. I'm not very good with accents so you might just have to imagine them in a lot of areas. I tried to differentiate the thoughts from dialogue through punctuation use. This run in their life is going to run a lot longer than three parts. I apologize if this chapter is not a filling but I just needed to get it out to keep me going. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I'm not creative enough to think up these characters so I just borrow them.

Back to Bayville

She ran.

Her footfalls fell silently. Tears streamed down her face, causing her to run blindly through the black void. *This can't be happening,* she thought. *Where am Ah? Ah can't find mah way out!* Everything was so dark. The tears soon turned to sobs and she wearily sunk to the ground, her lungs unable to keep up any longer.  She pulled her knees tightly to her chest, trying to quiet the noise her crying was making. She wanted to be found, a wish that didn't go unnoticed, she found, as two arms enveloped her.

"Too close," she thought and whirled out of the person's arms. She could not make out the person standing in front of her, save for two faintly glowing red orbs. She felt a hand latch on to her arm. She struggled to pull free but the grip was too strong. 

"Wake up."

"Wha-? What do ya mean?"

"Open y'r eyes, _chere_."

As soon a she heard the word _chere_ the black void dissolved into a field with a lone house standing in the center.

Remy jerked back as if scalded. He looked at the girl lying in the infirmary bed. She was lying still after forcing him out. The Acolytes were staying at Xavier's while Xavier and Magneto searched for the mysterious third key. They felt that their combined forces would be needed to fight the impending doom. Remy had been wandering around the house when his empathy picked up strong feelings of distraught and panic. In a daze, he followed those feelings to the source, not quite sure of how he ended up in the infirmary.  When he walked in he saw a girl lying in the bed thrashing about. Without thinking he walked over to her and held her, riding the feelings into her mind. When she pulled out of his grasp he tried to wake her up and when he told her to open her eyes, he was promptly forced out of her mind. She had stopped moving, though.

*Weird,* he thought. He gazed at her for a moment. A fine sheen of sweat covered her brow but at least she was calm now. There was something about this girl he couldn't quite figure out.  When they had first met on the battlefield, he had hesitated. She seemed familiar somehow. The brown hair and white streaks had definitely set off some alarms in the back of his head but he still couldn't figure her out. He was sure he would remember a _femme_ this beautiful. He thought back to their first meeting and remembered her hesitating, too. The look on her face was somewhere between confusion and recognition. The nearby explosions shook him out of his reverie and he had made a hasty retreat, using a card for distraction. Sitting gently on the bed, he took one of her hands in his and tried to 'feel' her again. He sensed her confusion and rode the feeling back to her mind once again.

Rogue wandered through the house. It felt familiar to her but she knew she had never been to a place like this. The room she was in had a lot of books lying about. She looked at one of them. "_The Art of Mixing Herbs?" She was about to open it when she heard the door open behind her. _

Remy walked in and saw Rogue look up from a book. 

Rogue was shocked. He was the _last person she expected to see walk through the door. All she could do was stare. She looked into his eyes and felt the same sense of familiarity that she felt at their first meeting. "Hi."_

"Hi."

"How did you get here? Ah don't even know how Ah got here."

"Y'r dreamin'. Kinda got pulled in wit' ya."

"Oh."

Voices wafted in from outside. Rogue froze as Remy looked for a hiding spot.  Spotting what looked like a pantry door, he grabbed Rogue and pulled both of them in. He left the door open a crack so that he could see out the door. He watched as two figures walked in. At first thought he recognized them as two of the instructors that he had met, the one with the white hair and the guy with the claws. Remy motioned for Rogue to keep quiet and she nodded in acknowledgement. They listened as the adults began speaking.

"It is nice to have all of the children here again." Rogue recognized that to be Miss Munroe.

"Yeah. I did kind of miss having them around." Rogue was a bit taken aback. She knew that voice belonged to Logan but it seemed to have lost its hardened gruffness.

"Even Kurt?" Ororo asked playfully.

Remy saw Logan place his head in his hands. "Please don't remind me."

Ororo's light chuckle permeated the air. "Katherine is growing up. It won't be long before our Kitten is married and having children of her own."

"I know, I know. But as much as I like Kurt, I feel like he's going to take my little girl away."

"What the hell?" Rogue thought. She tapped Remy's shoulder and motioned for him to move a little so she could see. When an embracing Ororo and Logan entered her field of vision, she recoiled a bit, feeling a bit guilty for spying on a private moment. 

Remy noticed this and whispered, "This is y'r dream. Y'can watch whatev'r y'want." Rogue nodded and tried to peak again. 

"Remy and Rogue seem to be quite happy to see each other again," Ororo told Logan.

Both pantry occupants perked up at their names. 

*Who's Remy?* Rogue wondered.

*Who's Rogue?* Remy asked himself.

"It's a good thing, since they are supposed to be married and all."

"Yes, they are quite charming together. Jean-Luc made an excellent decision in setting those two up." 

"Married? I'm supposed to get married? And my papa set this up? Can't be. Wait a minute. It can't be. This is her dream. She don't know me or my father. What the hell is going on?" The thoughts raced through Remy's mind.

"I'm dreaming about getting married? Please."

As Rogue continued to watch, the people she was spying on began to get a little unfocused. She looked around the room and all the colors started to blend together. She felt and hand on her shoulder and looked up. 

"I t'ink y'r wakin' up. See y'on de other side." Remy quickly faded away.

With his departure the world around Rogue darkened once again and she was alone. She closed her eyes and immediately she felt a sensation similar to that of falling. She opened her eyes in fear and found herself staring into Remy's red and black ones. Surprised by the close proximity of another face to hers, she jerked away instinctively. Sensing her discomfort, Remy got up from the bed and moved to the chair that had been placed next to it. Rogue sat up and eyed the room cautiously, searching all areas as if to make sure she was really awake. When her eyes landed on her visitor, she noticed his puzzled look. They stared at each other in an awkward silence until Remy finally spoke.

"Dat was . . . diff'rent."

She pulled the covers closer around her. "So, ya were really there?"

He ran a gloved had through his hair. "Yeah, but I'm not real sure how I did dat. Didn't t'ink my powers worked like dat." He had the grace to look sheepish.

Rogue was about to reply but was cutoff when Kurt teleported into the room holding a tray. "Oh good! You're awake. I thought that maybe-" he stopped when his eyes began to take in his surroundings. Rogue was sitting up in bed and one of the guys that came with Magneto was sitting in the chair next to her. His eyes narrowed slightly as he turned his attention to Gambit. "Vhat's going on?"

"It's okay, Kurt. He just heard me having a bad dream." Rogue said, trying to defuse the situation.

"How did you get down here? You haven't been shown zis area."

Remy held up his hands in defense. "Hey, I didn' mean to come down 'ere. She was shootin' off some strong emotions and I got drawn in. Don' even know how I got 'ere."

Kurt backed down just a little bit. "Are you a telepath, too?"

"Non, dey call it empat'y. I can read emotions an' feelin's, not t'oughts."

Rogue cut in. "If you're not a telepath, how were ya able to get in my head?"

"Like I said earlier, I dunno. It's not s'posed to work dat way."

"I'm getting the professor," Kurt said. He teleported away before either of them could protest.

Rogue flopped back down on the bed. "Great. Now the professor is going to go poking around in my head."

Remy got up and sat on the edge of the bed so he could see her face. "M'sorry for intrudin'. If I had known I could do dat den I wouldn't have tried to wake ya."

She shook her head. "Naw. It ain't your fault. You were just tryin' ta help. Can't blame ya really. Ah can't control my powers either."

"What can you do?" he asked, curious.

"Ah absorb people. Drain 'em is more like it. When Ah touch someone, Ah get their mem'ries, thoughts, feelin's and powers if they got some. Ah guess Ah take some of their life force, too, since it can take a while for people to recover. The first person Ah touched was put into a coma. And a little piece of everyone Ah've touched stays in my head."

*Talk about forbidden fruit,* he thought. He appraised the girl in front of him. She was quite beautiful. In the heat of the battle he hadn't really had the opportunity to check her out but her fiery determination was quite attractive, for being the enemy. All he had known about her then was that she was a heck of a fighter and had a nice body to boot. As he looked at her now, he could see the how entrancing her deep green eyes were and how silky soft her flawless skin looked. An errant strand of white hair hung in one of her eyes and he had to suppress the urge to tuck it behind her ear. A tiny frown was apparent on her face, drawing his attention to her full, pouty lips.

"Are ya starin'?"

"Huh? Oh, no. I was jus' thinkin' 'bout how rough it mus' be. I 'member what it was like when I couldn' touch nothin'."

Rogue thought back to their fight. "Ya make things explode with a touch."

"Oui, chere. Sorry about de card, by de way." He smiled apologetically before continuing. "I 'member when I first got my powers. Nearly blew up de house. Had to sleep with m'hands tied to the bedposts so I wouldn' touch nothin'. I understand what it's like to not have control." 

"Yeah," she agreed softly. She would have said more but heard voices out in the hall. She looked at the door and watched as the professor wheeled himself in with Scott and Kurt in tow. 

"Hello Rogue, Remy. I take it you two have met?" 

They looked at each other in surprise. Rogue fought the blush that threatened to stain her cheeks. *This is Remy?! The name from the dream? Great, and he heard everything, too. Bet he's wondering what the hell he was doing in my dream,* she thought.

*Dis is Rogue? But I don't know her. How could she dream about us getting married if we don't know each other . . .?*

Despite the thoughts running through their heads, they were able to nod in agreement. 

He wheeled over to them while Kurt and Scott strode over to the side of the bed opposite of Remy, Scott sitting on the bed and Kurt taking an empty chair. "Kurt tells me that you were able to enter Rogue's dream but there was some confusion over how if occurred. Am I correct?"

"Oui." Remy replied. 

"How are you feeling, Rogue?"

"I'm okay."

"Good. Well, I would like to observe the both of you to see how that happened but I think Rogue might have to be asleep for that. Perhaps when she falls asleep later on I may try and figure it out. Is that okay with the both of you?"

Rogue gave a defeated, "Ah guess," while Remy only nodded. The professor also nodded in acknowledgement and left the room. Kurt and Scott stayed behind and all four sat together in silence. Remy looked over at Scott. Since he first met the guy he simply didn't like him. Something about him just rubbed him the wrong way. Seeing him sitting on the edge of Rogue's bed only increased the hostility he felt towards the boy. He wanted to say something to him about it but held his tongue. What was the point? For all he knew, this was Rogue's boyfriend. Remy shifted in his seat. For some reason, he didn't like that thought either. *What the hell?! Calm down, man. It's not like you like de girl. She's just pretty.* He looked over at Kurt and saw that he was watching Rogue with concern. He could possibly be Rogue's boyfriend but Remy didn't think that sounded right. *Maybe they're related,* he pondered. *Yeah, right! He's blue and furry and she is definitely not.* He didn't get a chance to think about it further as the silence was finally broken by Scott's voice. 

"Kurt said you were having a bad dream. You okay?"

She tried to brush him off. "Ah'm fine, really. It was just a dream. No big deal. It wasn't even that bad."

"Are you sure? We can hang out here if you want-"

"Scott, Ah'm fine. You guys don't have to stay here."

"As your _older_ brother it's my job to look out for you," Kurt piped up.

She turned her attention to Kurt. "I'm adopted. You're not my real brother." She knew her comment would sting the moment it left her mouth so she tried to soften them by adding with a smile, "Besides, why do ya get to be older?"

A hint of hurt flashed across his face before returning her smile. "My birthday is before yours. That makes me older."

"Please. Now that we know the real story we have no idea when our birthdays are. For all we know, I could be the older sister."

"Or you could be twins," Scott added.

"Doesn't matter," she said. "Someone still has to be older."

Scott scratched his head. "Not really. Since you _are_ adopted, there is a chance, a slim chance but still a chance, that you guys were born at the exact same time."

Rogue's brow furrowed in thought. "That's true. I don't think I want to be twins anyway. I like having my own birthday."

"Great! We can keep our birthdays and I get to be older!" 

Just then, Jean entered the room. "Hi everyone. I hope I'm not interrupting."

Scott smiled when he turned to see her. "Nope. We were just talking."

"Oh. Rogue, you're looking a lot better today."

"Thanks," Rogue muttered in return. Jean ignored it.

"I was just wondering if you still wanted to go?" she asked Scott and he immediately got off the bed.

"Yeah! I almost forgot." He turned to Rogue. "Just let me know if you need anything, okay?"

Rogue just nodded. She didn't watch as Scott and Jean left hand in hand.

Kurt got up. "I'm going to go get zomething to eat. I brought food for you earlier but I forgot to bring it back. Are you hungry?"

"Not really. Go ahead and eat. Ah'll get something if Ah need it."

He nodded and then eyed Remy out of the corner of his eye. "You going to be okay?"

Rogue sighed. "Don't worry. Ah'm look but don't touch. Remember?"

Not knowing how to answer, he simply said, "alright" and teleported away.

 Remy had been watching the whole time in interest and had learned a lot. For some reason, he felt better knowing that Scott wasn't the boyfriend. The guy was practically oozing with delight when the red head had come into the room. At the same time, Rogue was trying very hard to mask her irritation. Remy would have missed it if it hadn't hit him so strongly before Rogue got it under control. He was surprised to be completely wrong about Kurt being the brother but after a while it felt like it fit. He looked over at Rogue. She was laid back on the pillow with her eyes closed. He admired her for a moment before asking, "Do you want me to go, too?"

She opened her eyes. "Only if you're going to coddle me. Ah know they mean well but geez. Ah'm a big girl."

"They jus' care 'bout ya." He thought back to the adoption part of the conversation. "Y'know, jus' 'cause y'r adopted don't mean Kurt ain't y'r real brother." She looked over at him as he continued to talk. "I'm adopted, too. I got an older brother and we consider each other family, even though we ain't related by blood."

She covered her face with her hands. "Ah know. It's just taking some getting used to. We just found out a while ago." She laid there for a moment before moved her hands. "Can Ah ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Not to be rude or anythin', but why are ya still here? Ah mean, Ah don't even know you."

"What? You don't think I stayed to enjoy your lovely company?" She gave him a look.

Remy sat back in the chair. "Fine. Honestly? I'm not sure how I got here and everyone else left before I could follow dem out. Thought it might be a little embarrassin' to ask for directions."

Rogue looked at him with wide eyes. Then she burst into laughter.

Remy stood and folded his arms. "Y'know, y'r makin' it seem like it'd be worth it to get lost," he said with mock hurt.

"Ah'm sorry," she tried to say between giggles, "but you just don't strike me as the type to get lost."

"An' why is dat?"

She took a breath to calm down and cleared her throat. "Bobby tol' me you were some kind of master thief after y'all went after the second key. It was jus' funny to hear that ya might get lost seeing as how all ya have to do is find the elevator. Ah didn't mean to offend. Ah know ya probably were all disoriented an' stuff when ya got here. Ah'm sorry. Ya don't have to go. Ah don't get much company down here." She smiled at him.

"Hmph. "'pology accepted." Remy sat back down. 

Rogue cheered silently on the inside before realizing what she was doing. *What the hell am I doing?! I'm fraternizing with the enemy!* She looked at Remy as he rummaged around in his coat. He certainly was attractive. He was still dressed in his battle gear and, despite wearing a coat, she could tell he worked out. His features were ruggedly handsome but still showed some youth. *Well, maybe it won't be that bad.* She couldn't see his eyes because they were downcast but she couldn't forget the eerie red on black combination. Something about them just screamed at her in recognition but she still couldn't figure it out. She continued to watch him as he produced a brand new package of playing cards. Her eyes widened slightly. Remy sensed her discomfort and looked at her.

"Don' worry. I'm not gonna charge 'em. Jus' wonderin' if y'wanted to play cards or somthin'." He tossed the pack on the bed to prove his point. She picked it up and removed the wrapper. She removed the cards and began to shuffle them. *I bet her hands be real soft,* he thought before dismissing it. *Don't go there, homme. Not trying to fall for the enemy.* He continued to watch her delicate fingers expertly mix the cards. *Though it wouldn't be the first time,* he reasoned with himself. Rogue stopped shuffling.

"What do ya want to play?"

"How 'bout Speed?"

Rogue shook her head. "Ah don't have any gloves down here. Wouldn't want to accidentally touch ya."

Remy held up his hands. "I got gloves on. Y'r safe. I trust ya to be careful. If an accident happens I won't blame ya."

She looked doubtful. "Ah dunno. Ah really don't want to hurt ya. Even if it is an accident."

He reached over and touched a finger to her hand, holding the hand down on the bed. She jerked at the touch but not with enough force to remove her hand. "See? It's okay. When I got my p'wers I didn' wan' touch nothin' either but dey told me I'd never learn control if I didn' try."

Rogue sighed. "Fine." He released her hand and she dealt the cards.


	10. Back to Bayville Part II

Again, thanks for all of the reviews. They have been wonderful and very useful in helping me direct the story. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I'm not creative enough to think up these characters so I just borrow them.

Back to Bayville – Part II

After about fifteen minutes Rogue declared herself the official Speed champion. She had beat Remy ten times so she was entitled to sit there smiling smugly.

"For some reason, Ah figured you would be much better than that."

Remy scooped up the cards and put them back in the box. "Pah! You were jus' lucky. If we were playin' a real card game, like poker, I'd be givin' _you_ a run for y'r money."

"Do Ah sense a challenge?"

 "Anytime, _chere_. Jus' don't come cryin' to me when I beat y'r pants off."

Rogue looked up sharply when he called her _chere_. "What did ya call me?"

"What, _chere_? It's what I call all de ladies. Force of habit. Is dat bad?"

"Naw. It just sounded familiar. Like someone's called me that before."

He rubbed his chin in thought. "I did call ya dat when I was tryin' t'wake ya and I t'ink I called ya _cherie_ when I saw ya dat day at school." She looked doubtful. "Y' don' look convinced. Well mebbe it wasn' me dat said it before den. We've only met t'ree times and I'm pretty sure we didn' talk durin' our first meetin'." His eyes twinkled mischievously. "Unless y'been havin' more dreams 'bout me dat I don' know 'bout."

Rogue groaned and leaned back against the pillows. "Ah was wonderin' when ya were gonna bring that up."

Remy chuckled. "It's okay, _chere_. I'm flattered to be de man of y'r dreams."

She rolled her eyes. "Please. Ah didn' even know your name was Remy until the professor said so. That was just some weird, freaky coincidence."

"Y' don' have to deny it. I know I got dat effect on de ladies."

"Ah'm really starting to regret that you were the one to find me."

"But, _chere_, I'm de man of y'r dreams! It was my duty to find ya."

Rogue pulled out one of her pillows and attempted to hit him with it. Unfortunately, his reflexes kicked in and she quickly found the pillow yanked from her hands. "Y'know this means-umph!" Rogue had quickly recovered and snatched up a second pillow. She nailed Remy in the head before he had a chance to get in the first hit. They traded blows, but Rogue was at a disadvantage. Being inside the bed caused her to get tangled up in her sheets while her target was very mobile. She soon found herself relieved of her pillow and pinned beneath a smirking Remy. "Give up?"

"Get offa me!"

"Only if y'give up." Rogue glared up at him. Remy looked down at her. Her cheeks were red from their fight and she was breathing heavily. Fire burned bright in her green eyes and her hair was splayed about her head, like a halo of brown and white. Remy couldn't help but stare. Rogue's glare soon turned to a look of discomfort under his gaze. Her change in feelings shook him out of his trance and he got off of her. He handed her back her pillows and sat back down in the chair. Rogue slowly fixed herself back on the bed, trying to think of a way to kill the growing tension. She settled back against the pillows and looked over a Remy, who was shuffling a deck of cards.

"Why cards?"

"Huh?"

"Why do ya use cards as a weapon?"

He removed one of the cards from the deck and flipped through his fingers. "Dere was one time, when I 'bout fifteen or so, I was playin' a poker game wit' some buddies. Dis one guy was really getting' on m'nerves, real mout'y. He started jawin' 'bout my girlfrien' at de time, sayin' how she was only wit' me 'cause it made her look cool to date a guy wit' freaky eyes. I lost my cool and t'rew m'cards at him. Didn' realize my temper caused me to charge 'em a bit and dey flew right at 'em. I was shocked to see dat de charge gave dem a little weight and dey could be t'rown wit' deadly accuracy. Been usin' em ever since. It helps dat I can carry a lot of dem wit'out so much weight."

"Oh. That's cool. Where ya from?"

"N'Awlins. Why all de questions?"

"Just curious. This is the third time we've met and all Ah know is that y'r name is Remy and ya work for Magneto. Figured there has to be a story behind the guy who figured out how to get into my head."

"About the whole head thing, why is ev'ryone so shocked dat I got in? Empat'y and telepat'y are related aren't dey?"

"Yeah, but I got some real strong mental shields. The professor can't get in unless I let him in. Ya were able to get in _twice_ without my direct permission."

"Guess dat makes me pretty special, huh?"

"Right," she says sarcastically.

"Where y'from?"

"Mississippi. Caldecott."

"I'm gonna pretend I know where dat is."

"Ha ha ha."

"What's y'r beef wit' de red head?"

"What's yours with Scott?"

"I got nothin' 'gainst leader boy."

"You were givin' him the evil eye the entire time he was in here!"

"You wern' exactly nice to the red head."

"Her name is Jean and I have known her long enough to have my reasons. What's your deal?"

"I tol' ya, I ain' got nothin' 'gainst him."

"Fahne. Be in denial. Are ya really a master thief?"

"De best of de best."

"Prove it." He held up a dainty necklace. Rogue reached for her throat. Sure enough, her neck was devoid of her necklace. "Point taken. When'd ya lift it?"

"Trade secret," he replied, giving it back to her.

She rolled her eyes. "If I really wanted to know I could just touch ya."

"Den I guess dat's de only way y'get to find out."

"Hmph."

They continued to converse for the better part of three hours. Both were enjoying each other's company and didn't really notice how much time had passed. Rogue was very surprised with herself for being so friendly but she just could not seem to shake the feeling that she knew him somehow. Talking to him just felt natural. If Rogue was merely surprised, Remy was shocked. Rogue now knew things about him that he never told a regular girl. She knew everything from his birthday to his broken betrothal to his childhood sweetheart, Belladonna. He knew that her all time favorite dessert was s'mores and the first person she used her powers on was a football player named Cody. They shared an affinity for soft jazz and classic rock and both spoke fluent French. But what amazed him the most was how comfortable he felt with her. He had never felt this way with Belle and they had claimed to love each other enough to marry. Now here he was, talking about everything under the sun with a very sassy southern belle who knew more about him in three hours than Belle had learned in three months.

"Do ya know what time it is?" Rogue asked.

Remy held up two bare wrists. "Have no idea. Don't got a watch."

"You don't got a watch?"

"Don' wear it. It's a way dat de cops can' identify ya when y'r on de job. Why y' wan' know what time it is?"

Rogue's stomach growled in answer. "Ah'm a little hungry and Ah was wonderin' if dinner was over."

"Can y' walk?"

"Ah think so. Ah may just be a little wobbly at first."

"If y' can lead me to de kitchen I can make y' somethin' to eat if we missed dinner. I'll help y' if ya need it."

"Okay." Rogue got out of bed and attempted to stand. She was doing okay and figured she could make it to the elevator. She was able to get to the restroom unassisted and that was about three feet from the bed. She figured another six or so feet wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, her body didn't quite agree with her mind and she felt her legs giving out when she reached the door. Remy caught her from behind. A frown appeared on his face when he felt how light she was.

"Merde, _chere_. Dey feed ya here?"

"Just haven' had the appetite to eat as much the past few weeks."

Rogue continued to try and hold her own weight to no avail. Unable to see her struggle any longer, Remy picked her up in his arms.

"What're ya doin'?"  
"Y' won' enjoy de meal if y' waste all y'r energy jus' tryin' to get to the elevator."

"Ya don' have to carry me."

"What kind of gentleman would I be if I let y' struggle up to de kitchen?" 

Not having the strength to really protest, she relented and pushed the button to let them in the elevator. "This is so embarrassin'."

Remy smiled as the elevator door opened and he stepped out. "Most _femmes_ would kill t'be in y'r position."

She crossed her arms. "Well, Ah'm not 'most _femmes_.'" 

The hallway was dark, which meant it was probably late evening. Remy's night vision was enough to follow Rogue's directions to the kitchen. He placed her gently in a chair after turning on the lights and began rummaging around in the fridge.

"Looks like dere is some left over roast chicken. Y' can have dat or I can make y' a sandwich."

"Ah could go for a sandwich."

Remy expertly whipped up two massive sandwiches. She wasn't sure what he put in it but the combination was quite tasty. Upon finishing one half of the meal she pushed the plate away to show she was finished, only to have it pushed right back at her.

"Eat." Rogue glared at him. He glared back.

"Ah'm not hungry anymore."

"Chere, y'may have a tres belle body but it's much to thin for m' likin'."

"Ah don't think it really matters what ya like."

"Well, would y'like me to keep carryin' y' 'round 'cause y' don' got de energy to walk on y' own?"

"That was a one time thang!"

"Oh really? Can ya walk to de door now?"

Rogue slumped in her chair. "Fahne. I'll eat half of this. But if Ah get sick Ah hope Ah throw up on ya."

"An' I'll jus' wipe it right back on y'. I doubt y' could outrun me."

"Hmph."

They ate in silence until Rogue was finished to Remy's satisfaction. He cleaned up their mess and Rogue suggested they sit in rec room and watch a movie. She was glad to be out of the infirmary and didn't want to waste her chance to do some of the things she'd missed. Remy carried her over to the room and placed her on the couch. He then moved over to the movie case and studied its contents. "What do y' wanna watch?"

Rogue was getting herself comfortable on the couch. "Ya up for a movie marathon?"

"Anythin' for de pretty lady."

She rolled her eyes but felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Take out _Road to El Dorado_ and _Signs_. I haven't seen those yet. You can pick the other two." 

Remy popped _Signs _in first. He waited on his pick because he figured he had two movies to think about it. He moved to the couch and sat down a good distance from Rogue. He didn't know how she felt about sitting in close proximity so he wanted to give her space. He needn't have worried. Rogue had cocooned herself in one of the blankets folded on the arm of the chair and scooted over to rest her head lightly on his shoulder.

"Are y' gon' fall asleep on me?"

"No. Ah can feel a headache comin' and Ah want to be comfortable."

They sat in silence during the entire movie, with an occasional chuckle at the humorous parts. When it ended, Remy found that he was quite impressed with his movie buddy. She hadn't jumped once at any of the "scary" parts. He had even stolen a glance at her every now and then to make sure she was really watching. He didn't jump at any part of the movie either, but that took an extreme amount of restraint for some scenes. As the credits began rolling he quickly got up and changed the movie and settled back next to Rogue. By this time her headache was at full force and she was trying to lessen the pain by rubbing her temples. About five minutes into the movie, Remy couldn't take it anymore and coaxed her head to his lap and began rubbing her head with both hands. The massage felt too good to protest and she was in too much pain so Rogue let it slide, closing her eyes and silently trying to will the pain away. Rogue didn't make it to the halfway point before dozing off and Remy soon followed.

**********

Remy crept silently down the hall. He had heard a jumble of voices and the mention of his name had perked his interest. He came upon the corner of the stairway and peered around it. He saw someone close the front door and walk away. To the left of the door, two large double doors were open and he could see into the study. He recognized almost everyone in the room immediately. There was a man sitting in a large armchair who was undoubtedly his father. On the couch to his right sat Magneto and a woman he did not know. Across from Magneto sat Charles Xavier and the red headed girl that Rogue didn't like. *What de hell is goin' on?* Remy thought. He was quite sure he was in his father's house in New Orleans but for some reason felt the need for caution. Something just didn't seem right. Everything in the house seemed to be in place; all of the furniture was the same. His father's study is right where it's supposed to be. One thing that he was confused on was the fact that his father was talking to these people to begin with. As far as he was concerned, these people didn't know his family. Second was everyone's style of dress. His father was clothed in traditional guild common wear so that was fine but everyone else seemed straight out of a scene from _Gone with the Wind_.

"See anythin' interestin'?"

Remy visibly flinched. He whirled around and came face to face with a smirking Rogue.

"Dat wasn' funny."

"It was from where Ah'm standin'. Some master thief you are. Ya aren't even watching your own back. If Ah was the enemy Ah coulda killed ya."

"Techincally, y' are de enemy. Too bad you jus' missed y'r chance," he replied with a smirk of his own.

Rogue retaliated by giving him a punch in the arm that actually stung a little. "There, now all's not lost."

"Ha ha ha," he said, rubbing his arm a little. "What're y' doin' here anyway?"

"Hell if Ah know. Last Ah remember Tulio and Miguel had just discovered El Dorado and were being praised as gods."

"So I guess I'm really not home."  
"Unless ya teleported us away in the middle of the night, no."

Remy paused in thought. "So y' dreamin' again?"

"Actually I think it's you who's dreamin'. Im my dream ya found me. I found ya here."

"Hmmm. Mebbe."

"Mr. Xavier we apologize for Rogue and Remy's behavior. They are quite close and look out for one another, like a brother would a sister." Jean-Luc's voice wafted up the stairs, interrupting the pair. They moved back towards and the corner and peered around it, Remy standing over Rogue's crouched form. Rogue recognized almost everyone in the room immediately.

Xavier spoke up. "That's quite alright. That is an admirable trait in Remy. I know that my Jean is in good hands."

"Yes, and Jean is such a lovely young woman. We are honored to have her become a part of our family. I'm sure she and Remy will be quite happy together."

Rogue looked up at Remy. "Since when did ya have a thang for Jean?"

Remy kept his eyes on the room. "Why? Jealous?"

She rolled her eyes. "You wish. Just didn't think she was your type."

"I dunno 'bout dat. She does have a hot body – OW! What was dat for?"

"Your getting' on my nerves."

"An' y' bein' too serious. I was jus' playin'. Lighten up. Besides, didn' y' hear dem? We're prob'ly off havin' an affair right now." 

"Please."

"Calm down. It's jus' a dream. In real life Jeannie be datin' dat idiot Summers. She tainted now."

Rogue smothered a giggle. "Now that's a new one. I'll have to remember that." She poked him in the leg. "I told ya you had something against Scott."

"Him being an idiot is common knowledge."

"Eric, congratulations to you and Raven on Rogue's impending marriage to Scott Summers. I hear he's quite successful up North."

"Dis is one f****d up dream I'm havin'."

"No kiddin'. Scott is jus' as tainted. What're tryin' ta do ta us?"

They continued to watch on in silence. The adults spoke a little more about the marriages before talking about land holdings.  Remy was just about to suggest they go explore the house when he felt a sharp pain in his arm.

**********

Author's Note: This is probably going to be a fairly lengthy section of their lifetime. I don't know how long the story is going to be as a whole but I see it going beyond fifteen chapters at least. I have a lot of ideas running around in my head and it's just a matter of getting them down on paper. I'll do my best to try and update at least once a week but no guarantees. Graduation is in six weeks so finishing school is my main focus. Don't worry, though. I'm definitely going to finish this one. 


	11. Back to Bayville Part III

Back to Bayville – Part III

Remy's eyes flew open and his hand immediate went for his arm. At least, it tried to get there. His hand had become tangled in Rogue's hair so in his attempt to cover his injury he ended up resulted in him yanking her head off of his lap. Rogue yelped at the sudden sensation and was jolted awake. Their confusion made it quite difficult in freeing Remy's hand until Rogue, forced into coherency from the pain of having her hair pulled, held his hand still and carefully remove the strands that were caught. Once untangled, Remy rubbed the sore spot on his arm while Rogue massaged her tender scalp.

"What de hell was dat?!"

Rogue sat up slowly, scowl on her face and still rubbing the area of her head where the hair was nearly yanked out. Her reply was caught in her throat as she finally took notice of the people standing behind the couch. The professor sat silently in his chair with Logan and Hank standing to his left and right. Hank had a look of relief on his face while the professor appeared to be a bit perplexed. Logan did not really look made, but he did make a point to stare sternly in their direction. Remy noticed Rogue freeze and turned around to see what she was looking at. Seeing the three adults made Remy hold his tongue. He was not sure if they were in trouble but there was no need to head into that direction by saying something stupid. Thankfully, the professor spoke first.

 "Rogue, Hank was quite worried when he went down to check on you earlier this morning and you were not there. Most people are in bed at five on the morning. Can you tell us why you are out of the infirmary?"

Rogue cast her eyes down a bit. "Ah'm sorry, professor. Last night Ah got hungry and Remy here was nice enough to help me to the kitchen and make me something to eat. He didn't feel comfortable walking around the house and he really wasn't sure how to get to the kitchen so Ah offered to go with him. Ah guess Ah was so excited to be out of the infirmary Ah didn't want to go back. Ah wanted to watch some movies before Ah went back down so that what we did. Ah guess Ah just fell asleep during one of 'em." To back up her claim, the theme song to _El Dorado_ played softly in the background.

The professor nodded at her admission. "I understand. Perhaps we have been keeping you a bit isolated downstairs." He smiled at them. "You both need not worry. You will not be punished since you did not break any rules. Though you did give Hank reason to be concerned." He then took on a more serious tone. "However, there was a reason why we were looking for you. While you two were asleep you both started to project very strongly which is very unusual. At first, I thought it was just Rogue so I sent Hank to check on you. When he discovered you were gone the three of us went searching for you. Both of you had very strong shields in place at the time, making it very difficult to find you telepathically. That fact in itself makes your dream projections very odd. Once Logan had located the both of you. I observed the both of you for a while and what I discovered I would like to discuss with you both in private. We tried to wake you by calling out to you but neither one of you responded. Logan finally took it upon himself to wake you both."

"By pinching me in the back of the arm? People don' get tattoos dere 'cause it hurts too much. Some wake up call," Remy muttered under his breath. Rogue elbowed him lightly.

"I would like to see the both of you in my study," the professor continued. "The other students will be waking soon and I assume you do not want this to be publicly discussed." With that, the professor turned around and wheeled out. Rogue and Remy followed close behind while Logan and Hank brought up the rear. Logan had thought that his wake up call had turned out to be pretty humorous. Thus, seeing as how he really wasn't fond of the new guy anyway, he reached out and pinched the back of his other upper arm for good measure. Remy stifled a cry and turned around, glare apparent on his face. Logan simply gave him a look that said 'I dare you to do something about it.' Remy's eyes narrowed as he turned back around, mentally adding Logan to his hit list. He did so just in time to see Rogue falter. Despite having a good meal and fairly decent sleep, she was still too weak to handle walking long distances. Logan and Hank were quite surprised to see Remy quickly scoop Rogue into his arms but they were shocked to see that she put up no resistance and instead laid her head on his shoulder. 

"You okay, _chere_?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Just forgot how far the study was."

"Professor," Hank called out. The professor stopped and turned around to see Rogue cradled in Remy's arms. "Maybe it would be best to have this discussion in the Med Lab so Rogue may lie down?" Xavier quickly nodded his agreement and turned in the direction of the elevator. Once in the lab, Remy tenderly placed Rogue on her bed and sat down in the seat he had vacated the night before. Hank took a moment to check her vitals as a precaution. Once finished, Xavier began to speak. 

"Before I start, I need to ask you both a question." Both nodded their consent. "This may sound odd, but have you met before? Before meeting the X-Men and Magneto?"

Rogue shook her head. "Ah doubt it. Caldecott's a real small town. Ah'd know if we met. Ah stayed there 'til Mystique moved me."

Remy's answer was the same. "Spent most of my life in N'Awlins. Don' know where Caldecott is. Came to New York when Magneto recruited me."

Xavier nodded, while Hank jotted down their answers in his notes. "Is there any chance that you both might be related?"

They didn't bother to hide their shock. Clearly that wasn't an idea they had thought about.

"Well, Irene adopted me when Ah was a baby," Rogue started, eyeing Remy. "Ah don't know who my real parents are."

Remy's response came out a bit deflated. "I was adopted, too. I was sent to some orphanage as an enfant and taken in by m'family when I was 'bout four." He had known that Rogue was adopted and she knew that he was, too. When they had talked about it the night before the notion of them possibly being family was not even touched. He found himself really hoping that the answer to Xavier's question was a no.

"I know the questions seem a bit odd but I'm searching for a possible explanation. As I observed the both of you I discovered that you have a very strong link to one another, unlike any I have ever seen. Creating such a bond is not a characteristic of an empath's powers so I highly doubt that Remy could unconsciously or consciously created such a thing. As a telepath, it is possible to create such a link but the one that exists between the both of you far surpasses any telepathic bond that I have ever seen in terms of strength and durability. There is the possibility that Rogue has been able to create this link because she once absorbed Jean. However, I have seen a similar bond growing between her and Scott and it in no way compares to what I have seen between the both of you. Plus, I have personally removed all of the psyches that had overcrowded Rogue's mind so she would not have the capabilities to strengthen it had it manifested during your first contact together so I am also throwing that theory out. The only other idea I can think of thus far is that the link could be a result of you being related. Such a bond usually occurs with twins but the fact that the both of you are mutants with no notion of who your real parents are could make you an exception. I will have Mr. McCoy conduct a DNA analysis to see if that could be the case with the both of you. Now, as for the link itself, from what I have seen so far, it is, quite frankly, impossible to sever. The shield surrounding it is about as impenetrable as the mental shields you both possess. This also raises a confusing point. The fact that you both have such strong shields and have been able to forge such a bond is both intriguing and baffling. I do believe that this bond is what is enabling the both of you to share dreams. Have you been able to communicate mind to mind?" They both shook their heads in the negative. "Hmm. The connection appears to be growing stronger. I wouldn't be surprised if at some point you will be able to. The only issue that raises is one of privacy. Currently, whatever is transmitted across is not under the same shielding that guard your minds. As a telepath, I can quite easily see and hear what you are transmitting. If projected strongly enough, such images can be seen by non-telepaths. Quite honestly, I cannot really explain what has happened. With your permission I would like the opportunity to study it, and especially figure out how to shield what is sent through the link, but I will understand if you do not consent. Keep in mind, though, that I cannot discern whether or not this link could pose a danger."

"Whaddya mean, Chuck?" Logan wasn't too keen on the idea of the kids sharing anything, let alone a psychic bond that could be dangerous.

"As strong as the bond is, it is not completely developed. While both retain their own minds, I do not know how trauma to one could affect the other once the bond has reached its full potential. It could do nothing or it could be quite disastrous. I feel that the need to study it is quite important but I will not force them into it." He turned his attention back to the two sitting in front of him. "If you don't mind, I would like Hank to conduct his testing as soon as possible so we may eliminate as many theories as we can. When he is finished you are free to do as you please but, Rogue, I would like you to remain in the infirmary. Remy may stay as long as you like and I will have Logan bring down a television and movie player so that you are not so bored. I will have Ororo bring you your meals. Despite all of these new revelations my utmost priority is getting you healthy again. It seems to me that your body has not fully recuperated from the immense stress your power overload had placed upon it." He favored Rogue with a grandfatherly smile that she weakly returned. "I will check in with both of you periodically throughout the day and I will expect your decision in the morning." He favored them with a parting smile before exiting the infirmary, Logan close behind. Hank excused himself for a moment to gather the tools he would need for the testing. 

"Ah feel like Ah'm the star of one of God's pranks."

"What?"

She lay back against her pillows but turned on her side so she was facing him. "I was adopted from the get go, my so-called "gift" is to drain people dry like some messed up vampire, said "gift" spazzes out and sticks me in the infirmary for who knows how long, since then I've been getting a new "long-lost" family member every three weeks and now I have some weird psychic connection to a guy I've spent less than twenty-four hours with. I must have really pissed someone off in my past life to end up like this. And, no offense, but I really hope you're not my brother."

He smiled. "Don' worry. I agree wit' you whole heartedly on dat one." He ran his fingers through his hair as he looked down at Rogue. *I really hope dey be wrong 'bout us bein' related. Nobody deserves dat kind a torment.* Despite only really knowing her for a day, Remy knew his resolve to not get involved with "the enemy" was fast crumbling. The more time he spent with her, the more he started to care. The more he started to care, the faster she was chipping away at the thick walls surrounding the heart he so desperately tried to guard. He continued to gaze at her this time did not resist the urge to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes widened at the sudden touch but she did not flinch. 

"Why are ya looking at me like that?" she asked softly.

"Just tinkin' dat an angel like y' could never be related to a t'ief like me."

She rolled her eyes. "Please, Ah'm about as much an angel as ya are a saint."

"'_Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all to short a date_.'"* Beast entered the room and stood next to Remy. "Do not sell yourself short, my dear Rogue. As some may see it, you already walk on the side of angels." 

"Ah may walk along side 'em, but that still don't make me one." Rogue sat up. "So what do ya need for the test?"

"Just a few samples of blood and the wonders of technology shall take care of the rest." Remy moved out of the way as Mr. McCoy tied Rogue's arms and quickly withdrew two vials of blood. When it was his turn he shed his worn trench coat, laying it across the bed. He sat back down in the chair and was and was also relieved his own two vials of blood. Hank gathered all of the samples in the small caddy he had brought with him and removed his rubber gloves. "I shall have the results later on this evening. Enjoy the rest of your day. Oh, and Remy, please take note of Rogue's condition. I assume you two may be spending more time together in light of the recent developments so you would know if she were feeling better or worse. Keep me posted." He graced them with a teeth-baring smile before bounding out of the room. Before they could say anything to each other, Ororo entered the room carry a tray full of food and Logan trailed behind with a small TV/DVD player and a TV cart. The smell of pancakes and sausage wafted over to the two and their stomachs grumbled in response.

"Good morning!" Ororo greeted them cheerfully. She handed the tray to Remy and went to retrieve the small tray table propped up against the far wall. "I did not know how hungry you would be so I brought six pancakes only," she said, setting up the table. "Let me know if you would like more." 

Rogue looked at the food on the tray. The pancakes were at least seven inches in diameter. A small saucer held six squares of butter and a small carafe held the syrup. The plate of sausages looked to serve at least four people. Two large glasses of orange juice and two smaller glasses of milk rounded out the meal. 

"Thanks, Ms. Munroe. This smells real good and looks to be way more than enough."

"Oui, t'anks."

Ororo smiled and turned to leave. "I shall return later to collect your dishes. Logan, do not forget our appointment later," she called over her shoulder as she made her way out.

"'Appointment later?'" Rogue asked with a raised brow and a smirk.

"It ain't what yer thinkin', kid, so don't even start. I gotta go with her to the grocery store. With Buckethead and crew stayin' here we gotta stock up on extra food. Between the Ruskie and the Elf we'll be runnin' out of food every two days."

"Who's the 'Ruskie'?"

"I t'ink he means Piotr. 'Member? De big metal guy? He's Russian."

"Oh."

Logan stood up and dusted off his hands. "Ya don't got cable but at least you can watch some movies now." He tossed the remote to Rogue. "Gumbo, you better be up topside at four. You got training same as everyone else. Call if ya need anything." They watched as he left.

"Trainin'. Yippee."

"Hey, be thankful that y'r startin' off with one a day. Some of us go at it _three times a day." Rogue told him, spearing a sausage._

Remy shook his head as he drowned his pancakes in syrup. *No wonder you weigh five pounds,* he thought. "Y' gotta train t'ree times a day?"

"Yeah." She took at bite of her pancake before continuing. "My power doesn't give me the offensive advantage that ya or Scott would have and Ah don't have a defensive advantage like Jean or Kitty. And Ah don't got control over my power. In the mornin' Ah work with Logan or the Professor on power control. After school we train as a team, learnin' how to work together and trust each other in combat. In the evenings Ah spar with Logan or Ororo to work on my hand-to-hand combat skills. Once a week we run a solo session to see how we're improving. It's not really that bad, I guess." She shrugged her shoulders and continued eating. They both ate in silence for a while, Remy monitoring everything she ate. One pancake and four sausages later, Rogue set her plate down, only to have Remy set another half of a pancake down onto it. She glared in protest.

"X said de utmost priority is gettin' y' better. Y' never gonna get y'r energy back by eatin' like a bird.

"Your gonna pay for this later Ah hope ya know."

"As long as y' hurry up and git out of de infirmary so we can go have some real fun I really don' care what y' do."

**********

After breakfast, Remy went upstairs to shower and fix up his new room a little while Ororo helped Rogue with her bath. She had given both of them a set of communicators that ran on a different frequency than the others so they could communicate throughout the house. Rogue had asked him to give her a couple hours to freshen up so he spent his extra time talking to Piotr and wandering through the house, trying to get a feel for the layout. When Rogue finally gave him the okay to come back down he first stopped by the Rec Room to grab some movies and found a bag of chips and some sodas in the kitchen before heading back down. When he finally made his way back down to the Infirmary, Rogue was sitting up in bed flipping through a magazine, looking a bit irritated.

"Somet'in wrong, _chere_?"

She put down the magazine and looked up at him. "Ororo just told me that Kitty threw out all of my makeup. Ah'm gonna have to get her for that later."

"Don' worry 'bout it. I t'ink y' look prettier without it anyway. If she didn' do it, I prob'ly woulda done it m'self at some point."

"Thanks, Ah guess." Rogue didn't really know how to respond to his comment. Nobody except Kitty had ever said anything about the way she looked. For the past couple of weeks she had been too lazy to put anything on her face seeing as how all she did was sleep anyway. Once Kurt had said it made her look less scary but no one had ever told her she looked _pretty_ without it.

"Anytime, _chere_." He deposited the chips and sodas on the tray table and sat down to look through the movies he grabbed.

Rogue tried to discreetly watch him flip through the DVD's. When he had first entered the room the first thought that had popped into her head was *Wow. He sure does clean up real nice.* He was clad in a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans. She noticed how well defined his arms were and how muscular and broad his chest look, even though it was covered with a loose shirt. The shirt was tucked into equally loose fitting jeans and the outfit was finished off with a pair of black boots. *At least the boy has taste* Her eyes wandered back up to his face. Without the head mask his hair was free to fall into his eyes. The back of his head was cut close but was kept gradually longer towards his face. A single stud earring adorned his left ear and a pair of leather gloves covered his hands. "Do ya always wear gloves?" 

"He looked up at her. "Yeah, but dey usually got some fingers cut out. Makes it easier to disable alarms and stuff when y' fingers aren't covered, but y' leave less fingerprints when some of 'em are covered. I figured it would make y' more comfortable if I wore dese."

Rogue was taken aback. "Ya don't have to do that for me. Ah should be the one coverin' up since Ah'm used to it an' all. Ah'll call Ms. Munroe and have her bring me a long sleeved shirt an' gloves." She had been so used to being alone in the infirmary that she didn't think twice when Ororo had brought her a plain T-shirt and sweats to change into.

 "What for? Even y' need a break once in a while. Not like I can' be responsible, too. 'Sides, it's a small price to pay for the pleasure of y'r company." He winked at her and went back to rifling through the movies.

For a moment, all Rogue could do was stare at him. Nobody had ever tried to take the burden off her shoulders like that before and now Remy comes in and does it like it was second nature. It was like he was trying to make her feel as normal as possible. She thought back to the day before and remembered how genuinely unafraid he was of her powers. She herself had never felt the need to keep him at arms length. Last night she had felt comfortable enough to take the initiative to lean on his shoulder during the movie and hardly put up a fight when he carried her around or massaged her head. A sudden feeling of distress swept through her and she looked down at her hands. *Ah'm doin' it again,* she chided herself. *Ah'm trustin' to easily, lettin' my guard fall too fast. Ah need to be more careful. Ah've had my trust broken way too many times to be givin' it freely anymore.* She turned and glanced at her companion briefly. *But there's just somethin' about you, Remy, that makes me feel like I could trust ya with anythin'.* When the professor had told them about the link they shared she didn't know what to think. Really, it just served to make things more complicated. It explained the reason why they could share dreams but it did nothing to shed light on cause of the feelings of familiarity towards him. The entire situation was bizarre. After what they had learned this morning, a large part of her wanted to talk to him about it but the other part of her was very hesitant. She was enjoying the friendship she was building with him but now she didn't know if what was happening would change things between them. He never brought anything up so she didn't either. What she wasn't admitting to herself was that the more time she spent with him, the greater her attraction to him was growing. Knowing the link could eventually lead to them reading each others minds scared her. She wouldn't be able to hide those feelings forever and if he didn't feel the same way the rejection would crush her. *Doesn't matter anyway. Ya may call me pretty now and we may get along great but it won't take long for the frustration of not bein' able ta touch outweighs all that.* She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. All of her wayward thinking was threatening to fill her eyes with tears and there was no way she was going to cry in front of someone, especially Remy.

"Hey. What's wrong? Y' got all depressed on me all of a sudden." Remy sat down next to her on the bed so he could face her and took one of her hands in his. Since yesterday he had been monitoring her feelings as best he could. The feelings she emitted when they were together were like a personal high for him; he loved having the ability to make her happy and comfortable. Her sudden change in mood was definitely cause for great concern and he wanted to remedy it as soon as possible.

Rogue took a deep breath and opened her eyes. The concern was evident on his face and she couldn't help but smile a little. *At least he really seems to care.* "Ah'm fine. Just thinkin' about things Ah shouldn't be."

He was unconvinced. "Y' sure? Y' wanna talk 'bout it?"

She shook her head. "Naw. Ain't worth discussin'."

"If somethin's makin' y' dis unhappy it's definitely wort' discussin'." A sudden sense of dread materialized in the pit of his stomach. "Did I do somthin' wrong?"

Rogue's eyes widened in surprise. "No! Lord, no. You've been nothin' but wonderful ta me. What could ya possibly have done? Ya spend all this time with me when ya don't haveta, ya made me dinner, ya carry me around 'cause Ah'm too stubborn to stay in bed, and ya aren't afraid of my powers." She laid a hand on his chest and looked into his eyes. "Please don't think ya did somethin' wrong. It's just me, Ah swear. Everythin' that's happened to me lately is just a bit overwhelmin' sometimes. Ah don't really want ta talk about it right now but Ah will if it'll make ya feel better." 

The feeling of dread was quickly replaced with that of relief and he smiled, covering her hand with his. "No, y' don' have to talk 'bout anythin' y' not ready to. I was jus' worried is all." He nodded towards the movies he had set on the small table. "Y' wanna pick out a movie so dat we can continue dat movie marat'on?" She smiled and nodded her head. He reluctantly released her hand so she could reach over and pick out a movie. She handed him _The Matrix and he popped into the player. She pushed 'play' and he tried to get comfortable in his chair. _

"Ya can sit up here if ya want." He looked at her and saw that she had scooted over to give some room on the bed. "Ah know it's snug an' all but Ah figure it's better than that chair." 

"Y' don' have to do dat for me, _chere_."

"It's okay. Ah don't mind." She grabbed the blanket folded at the edge of the bed and encased herself in it like the night before. Remy removed his shoes and climbed in next to her, fighting the temptation to wrap his arm around her. He was contented, though, when she rested her head against his shoulder.

* _Sonnet 18_ by William Shakespeare

As always, thanks for the reviews. You guys help keep me really motivated to keep on going. :) I'm really sorry if I'm messing up their accents. I'm trying to follow how they write them in the comics and how they sound in the cartoons but I obviously don't have the hang of it yet. Happy reading!


	12. Back to Bayville Part IV

Back to Bayville – Part IV

At ten to four, Remy stood inside the Danger Room with Piotr, John and Logan. The other students had arrived home from school not too long ago and were changing into their battle gear. As he shuffled a deck of cards in his hands, he could feel the glare that Logan was pinning on him. He idly wondered if it was because he had caught him and Rogue sleeping in the Rec Room together this morning. Rogue. They had watched two more movies before his training session and had lunch in between. *She definitely makes a guy wanna work wit' de good guys.* There was no way he could deny it. She connected with him in a way no one ever had, not even Belle. They had talked a lot more today, learning more about each other, but never did once discuss the bond that existed between them. He had a feeling that she wasn't sitting well with it but he didn't want to pry. When he had left the infirmary, she looked pretty tired so he was hoping she would take a nap. That way she wouldn't think about it too much.

"Alright, let's get started." The sound of Logan's voice disturbed Remy's train of thought and he looked up to see that everyone else had already entered the room. "You all will be participating in a modified run of Capture the Flag. I'm dividing you into two teams: Blue and Gold. The objective is to steal the other team's flag and bring it back to your base. Since these run is a practice in teamwork here are the rules: Once the other team's flag has been captured each member of the team has to carry the flag for at least two minutes before bringin' it back to home base; after capture, Kitty and Kurt can't use their powers while they hold the flag, meanin' one of their teammates has to help them across; Kitty and Kurt also can't use their powers to help their teammates back to base if that teammate has the flag; Jean can't use her powers to track the other team and Chuck'll be upstairs monitorin' to make sure; the flag must be visible at all times so tie if around your wrist or somethin'; and in order for your team to win, all of your team members have to be in the base before you sound the alarm that tells us you have the flag back at your base. Any questions?" Everyone shook their heads. "Good. Here are the teams. Iceman, Jean, Nightcrawler and Gambit, Gold Team. Pyro, Shadowcat, Colossus, and Cyclops, Blue Team." The two teams formed on either side of Logan. He nodded up to the control booth and the room transformed into a sort of arena. The floor changed levels to provide obstacles and hiding blocks and two designated base area formed on opposite sides of the room. A flag hung at the top of each base, one gold and one blue, so each team knew where to go. "Sim starts when I give the word from the booth. Head to your bases." Logan exited the room and the lights dimmed significantly. A semi-thick mist filtered into the room, obscuring their vision even more. Each base lit up with the color of its team and the obstacles were outlined with rope lighting. Each team headed into their base to form some sort of a strategy before Logan gave the word to start. After about five minutes, Logan gave the signal to start. Loud club music pounded through the speakers, making it difficult for either team to hear their opponents coming.

"Where did you get the idea for this simulation?" the professor asked.

"Saw a commercial for the new laser tag arena they built in town," Logan replied, watching the room below. "Thought it could work."

Xavier nodded in agreement. "Very good."

Meanwhile, down in the Danger Room . . .

Bobby erected three thick walls of ice, each about six inches apart, to protect the Gold base. He had been elected to guard the flag and wanted to make sure his opponents had a hard breaking through the last wall since he wouldn't be able to hear them approach. Jean had created a telepathic link with her teammates so that they all would know what was going on with each other and communicate while separated. She and Kurt had taken point, looking out for the other team while making their way to the Blue base. They figured that he could teleport them in and she could provide the distraction while he grabbed the flag. She could shield the both of them while they made their way back to base. Gambit would be providing back up to Bobby, delaying those who attempted to get through his walls. On the other end, Kitty was standing and holding on to their flag, making it intangible. Anyone who tried to grab it wouldn't be able to. Scott stayed in the base with her to provide protection as well as an offensive weapon. Colossus and Pyro were in charge of capturing the Gold flag and were making their way through the arena.

Jean and Kurt were trying to move towards the Blue base as quickly as possible. They had seen both Piotr and John creeping towards their own base and knew that Remy and Bobby wouldn't be able to hold them for long.

Heads up guys, Piotr and John are heading your way, Jean sent out.

I read ya. T'anks for de warnin', Remy replied. He had scaled one of the taller columns in hopes of being able to see anyone who was trying to come their way. He had figured that no one would think to look up because it was hard to see through the haze and so much concentration had to be placed on looking forward. With the lights dimmed he hoped that he blended in the general darkness of the room, allowing him to get the jump on anyone who passed. His spacial awareness allowed him to track nearly everyone in the room and he was well aware that his fellow Acolytes were about thirty feet away. When they had passed his hiding spot he was about to make his move when Jean's voice rang through his head. 

There's a problem. Kitty is holding their team flag, making it intangible. It looks like Scott is providing her protection. It's going to take us a while to figure out how to grab their flag.

Well, y' don' got a while, de ot'ers are already near our base. Figure sometin' out while I try and stop dese guys.

Yeah, I don't know how long my shields will keep them out, Bobby added.

John and Piotr slowly advanced on the Gold base when they were suddenly knocked off their feet by a several small explosions. 

"Looks like our buddy Gambit decided to give us a warm welcome," John told Piotr. Several more explosions erupted around them, preventing them from getting back on their feet. The accompanying smoke made it near impossible to determine where Gambit was. Back at their base, Kitty and Scott could hear the fight faintly over the music.

"Sounds like Gambit is defending the base," Scott assessed. "Keep your eyes open. I bet the Gold team is close." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Scott found himself grabbed from behind and teleported away from his base. *Kurt,* he thought. He tried to make a grab for the furry mutant but was not fast enough. Kurt had already teleported back to the Blue base to help Jean with Kitty. Scott started to head back to his base but then realized he was quite close to the Gold base. With his other two teammates distracting Gambit, he could go after the flag. He came upon the first layer of ice and began to blast his way through. When he got through to the second wall, Iceman finally realized someone was trying to get through. 

Hey! Someone's breaking through the walls! They're at the second layer! Bobby hollered through the link. 

Crap! I must've teleported Scott too close! Vhe have to hurry! Kurt moved behind Kitty while Jean mentally suggested for the girl to stop using her powers. It worked and Jean quickly grabbed the flag. Kurt latched onto Kitty and teleported her away.

"Blue Team flag captured," the computerized voice sent out.

"Someone! Scott's getting through my last wall! I can't regenerate fast enough to keep up!"

Don' worry. I be right – argh! A searing pain ripped through Gambit's mind and echoed through the link with his teammates. Iceman clutched his head, no longer able to defend Scott's attack. Jean and Kurt stumbled with pain, allowing a trailing Kitty to catch up and grab back her team's flag. Remy had been in the middle of trying to jump to the next column and was now hanging on to the edge. He tried to pull himself up when another wave of pain battered him, causing him to lose his grip. He fell to the floor, banging his shoulder on the ground. A new pain ripped through his arm and his shields momentarily slipped, alerting the professor of his peril. Ignoring his injured shoulder, he quickly got up and raced for the door. Along with the last wave he had felt a cry for help, a cry from Rogue. She was in trouble.

Gambit! What's wrong? the professor's voice rang clear in his mind.

Rogue, she in trouble. Callin' me. Gotta help 'er. Lemme out! he banged on the Danger Room doors. 

I sense she is sleeping. I do not sense any danger.

Before he could answer, another flood of pain battered his mind and he could hear Rogue scream from the assault. Non! I can hear 'er! I can feel it! Lemme out or I'm blastin' de door!

"Logan, end the simulation and open the doors. Now!" Xavier ordred, already rolling out the exit. He did as he was told and aborted the program. The room cleared instantly and he watched Gambit shoot out the doors. He surveyed the rest of the room and saw all of the other members of the Gold team lying on the ground. Kurt and Bobby were out cold and Kitty was helping Jean up. Scott was looking over Bobby while John and Peter stood, confused.

"What in flamin' hell happened?!" Wolverine bellowed through the intercom.

"I don't know. When I blew through the last ice wall, Bobby was already unconscious," Scott replied, looking up at the control booth.

"Yeah, I saw Jean and Kurt stumble for, like, no reason," Kitty chimed in.

"No," Jean said, rubbing her temple. "It was Gambit. He was feeling a lot of pain in his mind and it bounced along the link I had established between the four of us. I threw up a shield to protect my mind but I didn't cut the link in time for the second wave."

"Was someone attacking Gambit?" Scott asked.

"No. From what I can gather, I think the pain was coming from Rogue."

**********

As soon as the doors had parted enough, Remy shot through them and raced to the elevator. He was a bit surprised to see Xavier already waiting inside and holding the door open but he was grateful. The ride down seem much too slow for his liking but it gave him time to switch his fingerless gloves for complete ones. When the elevator opened to the sub basement he sprinted to Rogue's room, leaving the professor behind. He ran through the door to see Rogue had fallen out of bed and was clutching her head tightly, sheets twisted around her legs.

"Rogue!" Remy dropped to his knees and clutched her shoulders, trying to get her attention. "_Chére,_ what's wrong?! What can I do?!"

"Re-my . . . help . . .me . . .," Rogue managed to struggle out before she felt another blow to her mental shields.

This time, he was prepared for the excruciating sensation. In his mind he could see the link light up with fire. He fought through and traveled the link into Rogue's mind. He manifested in front of Rogue's shields and right away saw the cause for her pain. A figure dressed completely in black was trying to break through with a bright purple sword. Without hesitation he sprang into action, tackling the unknown assailant. Both of them rolled to a standing position and assessed one another.

"What're y' doin' here?" Remy demanded.

"My job!" a distinctly female voice retorted before lunging at Remy in attack.

Meanwhile, Xavier wheeled in the room to see Remy holding Rogue on the floor. Rogue's hands were now latched onto Remy's upper arms as he gripped her up by the shoulders. Their eyes were shut as if in deep concentration and beads of sweat rolled down Rogue's face. Remy's jaw was clenched tight and he would grunt every now and then, as if he was taking a hit. Xavier tried to enter Rogue's mind but was kept out by a foreign shield. Behind him, Logan barreled into the room, claws out and eyes ablaze. 

"Is he hurting her?!" he asked as his gaze fell upon the two.

"No, someone is attacking her mind and it looks like Remy has been able to get in. From what I can discern he is fighting the intruder mentally but he will need help. Someone is keeping me from interfering. Kurt, I need you to teleport Jean down to Rogue's room, he mentally commanded. Kurt and Jean instantly appeared next to him. 

"Mein Gott! Vhat is happening?" His sister was in obvious pain and Gambit didn't look much better. 

"Gambit is trying to fight whatever force is attempting to invade Rogue's mind. Jean, I'm going to the astral plane to try and figure out who is keeping me out. As soon as you hear my signal, enter Rogue's mind and help Gambit. Logan, put the others on alert. With most of  energies focused down here, I do not want to be left open for attack. Kurt, stay here and guard our bodies. Since all of us will be detached mentally, you must ensure that nothing happens to our physically forms." Logan left to warn the others and lock down the mansion while the other two could only watch as the professor went in search of his mental foe. Once on the astral plane, he could see who was trying to keep Rogue from receiving aid.

"Emma Frost."

Emma whirled around at the sound of her name. "Xavier!" Her eyes widened a bit in panic. "How did you figure out what was going on?! I made sure that the girl did not project her plight!" "The matter in which I have discovered your misdeeds is of no consequence. You should not have come here for I shall show you no mercy for harming one of my students. You do not belong here." Xavier advanced to attack but his adversary soon vanished into thin air.

"I have no quarrel with you, Xavier. But mark my words, the girl shall fulfill her calling and even you will not have the power to stop it," Emma's voice floated across the dreamscape. 

"We shall see."

Xavier opened his eyes. "Jean, now!" 

Jean quickly entered Rogue's mind to see both Gambit and an unknown figure fighting ruthlessly. The stranger was sheathed in blue body armor while Gambit's coat was in tatters and most of his uniform was slashed. The outsider managed to trip Remy up with a sweep of the leg and now stood over him. He was too fatigued to fight back.

"I was after the girl but you will do just fine." A fiery purple blade appeared on her hand and she poised to strike Gambit in the head.

"Not on my watch." Jean struck down the girl with a powerful psychic blast. The girl, shocked at being struck from behind, looked at Jean. Jean had geared up in her green psychic armor and now hovered above the girl, looking down menacingly. It was obvious to the girl that she had been abandoned by her partner so she, too, disappeared.

Jean floated down to Remy, who was slowly getting up. "We have to leave here. Our presence is putting stress on Rogue's mind. Can you get out okay?"

"Oui. T'anks for de assist. Don' tell Rogue I was gettin' my ass kicked," he winked at her before going back to his own body.

Jean simply shook her head as she did the same.

**********

Rogue opened her eyes and immediately knew something was wrong. She had woken up on lying on her left side so a bunch of bulky medical equipment should have been in her line of sight. Instead she saw an unmade bed separated from her own by a nightstand. The room was dark save for the glow from what she assumed was the TV since she could hear muted voices in the background. She turned over to see Remy, dressed in simple track pants, a wife beater, socks and gloves, dozing in a recliner that was placed close to her bed. He was seated next to the balcony doors so the moonlight streamed in and made his face glow. She lay for a minute, just watching him and memorizing the way he looked.

"Remy?" she finally croaked out. 

At the sound of his name, Remy's eyes flew open and he jumped to the edge of her bed into a defensive stance, cards drawn and charged. His head turned back and forth, looking for an intruder.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" she asked, her voice gaining strength.

He turned around upon hearing her voice and realized it was she who had called out to him. "_Chére_.' He gave her what looked like a smile of relief and tossed the cards in the air, letting them sizzle to ash. "Y'r awake." He moved to sit down on the edge of the bed, next to her and reached out to tuck the hair that had fallen into her eyes behind her ear. "How y' feelin'?"

She reached up with her right hand and put the heel to her temple. "Besides the throbbin' in my head, I'm okay. Starvin' but okay."

He laughed at her comment. "Yeah, I figured dis wouldn' be enough," holding the IV that was stuck in her arm.

"Yeah, no kiddin'." She sat up and promptly removed the needle from her arm, seeing that a nice bruise was already forming there. "So, what happened? Why am Ah here?"

The smile left his face as he took on a more serious tone. "What do y' remember?"

She thought back to her latest memories. "Ah remember ya leavin' ta go ta trainin' and then Ah think Ah fell asleep. Ah think Ah woke up once 'cause my head hurt real bad but Ah was too tired to do anythin' about it so Ah went back to bed. Ah think Ah must've been dreamin' a lot 'cause a lot of images are flashin' through my head."

"What do y' see?"

She scrunched up her brow in concentration. "Ah remember a man with some glowin' thing on his chest. Blood on my dress. A night club. Wedding bells. A diamond ring. Gunshots." She looked at him. "My friends were there, wearin' weird clothes. You were there, a lot."

"Wow," he said, shaking his head. 

"What?"

He focused his attention on her once again. "I saw everyt'in y' did. When y' were out, I guess y' mind was healin' or somet'in. We didn' really have dreams, just images. I don' know if dey were comin' from y' or me."

"What do ya mean healin'? How long have Ah been asleep?"

"Ten days."

"Ten days?!"

"Oui." He turned on the lamp on the nightstand behind the recliner and then turned off the TV. Turning back to her, he took one of her hands in his. "Dat day I went to trainin' someone attacked y'r mind, tryin' to get in. T'ankfully, y'r shields are real strong and dey couldn' get in. I felt y'r pain t'rough our link and came to help you out. X tried to get in and kick de person out but someone was preventin' him from getting' t'rough. I was able to get in an' try to fight de person off and Jean came and kicked dem out. De prof figured out who was blockin' and we been tryin' to figure out why de after y' ever since."

Rogue was rendered momentarily speechless. All she could do was stare as she processed the new information. "Are . . . are they just after me?" she asked after a while.

Remy looked down at their hands. "Non. Dey after me, too. A couple days after dey got to y' dey tried to get me, but dey messed up and gave away dere presence. T'ankfully dey hadn' tried attackin' my shields yet or y' wouldn' been in a lot more pain."

"What makes us so special?"

"X t'inks it has sometin' to do wit' de fact dat we're bonded an' de dreams we been havin'. We been broadcastin' I guess and X has seen some of what we seen. A lot of de images are repetitive. We been tryin' to figure out what dey mean."

"Oh." This was certainly getting a lot more complicated than she had hoped. "So why are we not in the Lab?"

"X amd Magneto built dis room to have psi shieldin' so dat nothin' gets in or out. Our minds are weakest when we sleep so we been sleepin' here."

She raised an eyebrow. "We've been sleepin' in the same room?"

"Yup."

"For how long?"

"'Bout five days now."

"And no one has killed ya yet?"

"Dey won' let 'em."

"Never stopped them from creatin' 'accidents'."

"Mebbe I got on dere good side by helpin' y' out. 'Sides, can' be takin' advantage of a lady who's unconscious. Against de gentleman in me." He flashed her a charming smile but she didn't take the bait.

"There's somethin' your not tellin' me. Ah know them pretty well and it takes a lot more than tryin' to protect me to get on their good side, especially since ya work for Mags."

"Jus' won' let me have my dignity, will ya?"

"Not when it can be avoided."

"Fine." He crossed his arms. "At about ten o'clock every night Logan'll post up outside de door. Every mornin' before school, Kurt teleports in here to make sure we in separate beds. 'Ro still brings all our meals up here, or at least mine for de past few days. McCoy's checkin' in on y' every t'ree hours. After school, Scott tries to give me de t'ird degree for an hour before he gives up and den Kurt tries to do de same. I spend an hour wit' de prof on analyzin' de dreams and he comes in sometime durin' de night to see what we're dreamin' 'bout. On top o' dat, Kitty phase her head in de room at de weirdest times. Y' know how disturbin' it is to see dat?"

"Do tell. See? That wasn't so hard." She looked at the clock sitting on the nightstand. 8:34PM. "Where's everyone now?"

"All de kids went out 'cept Jamie. Magneto and Xavier are somewhere round here doin' whatever it is dey do. Logan went out wit' 'Ro. Dey say it's a mission but I t'ink it's a date. No one gets _dat_ excited 'bout missions. McCoy is down in de lab, catalogin' me, John and Piotr into de system."

Rogue's head snapped up. "Did he find out the results of our test?"

Remy knew better than to joke around with this answer. "Oui, found out dat day. Don' worry. We're not related. Far from it accordin' to de doctor."

She flopped back down onto the pillows. "Thank God. Ah don't know if Ah could've handled another long lost brother."

"I hear ya. I bet Kurt would've been t'rilled wit' dat news."

"Yeah, he'd probably be pissed at not bein' the oldest brother anymore." They shared a laugh, more out of relief than humor. 

"Hey, how 'bout I go down and get y' somet'in to eat? I made Cajun Chicken wit' rice and corn on de cob. Y' can have dat if y' don' mind de spice."

"Ya made dinner?"

"'Cause I was hungry. M'sieu Bété may be a genius but he be lackin' in de culinary skills, as I discovered last week."

"No argument there. Sounds good."

"Bón." He got up and handed her the remote control. "Here, y' can watch while I'm gone. Dere's cable up here." As he was closing the door behind him, Rogue called out to him.

"Hey, Remy?"

He poked his head back through. "Yeah, _chére_?"

She gave him a small smile. "Thanks for comin' to my rescue. It really means a lot and Ah really appreciate it. It's not every day that someone gets their ass kicked for me." Her smiled then transformed into a smirk. "Especially by a girl."

All Remy could do was groan before shutting the door.

**********

As always, your reviews have been greatly appreciated. It's always nice to know that people are actually reading your work. :) 

To everyone who told me to write more: Don't worry, there will be lots more chapters on the way. If time only worked with me and not against me we'd all be happy campers.

Panther Nesmith: Green, huh? Cool beans. You have to watch the Matrix before the sequel. It's a pretty good movie.

Vagabond: As you can see, they are not related. If I wrote that I would have to hurt myself. Just say no to incest.

Neurotic Temptress: As funny as it sounds, I think the whole motivation thing worked. All of sudden this story has taken over my brain and I'm writing out the chapters every chance I get. (I bet it's just going to come and bite me in the ass when finals come around though . . . )

Lulu: Magic 8 Ball, Magic 8 Ball, will anyone figure it out? Response - _Better not tell you now._ :)

Goldylokz: Ah, the make-up issue. Honestly, I just can't stand the purple. Reminds me too much of Belladonna (have you read the Rogue Limited Series?). If they would make it some other color I would be just fine. Of course, I could just do that, too . . .


	13. Back to Bayville Part V

Back to Bayville – Part V

Remy sat on the steps of the gazebo located on the backside of the mansion, clad in jeans and an unbuttoned shirt. A month had passed since Rogue had woken from her self-induced coma and so much had changed in that short span of time. After about a week of what seemed like constant surveillance by the other members of the household, Rogue had had enough. When Kurt had teleported in one morning she was already waiting. Immediately she grabbed him in a headlock and held on tight. In panic Kurt teleported both of them into the kitchen where everyone was already having breakfast. In a not-so-nice tone she ranted for five minutes straight about all of them being 'too damn paranoid' about her sleeping situation and that they were worried over nothing because 'it's not like we can do anything anyway.' The adrenaline from her tirade had given her enough energy to stomp back up to the room and go back to bed. From that point on Remy had gotten to sleep in until noon and no one came in without Rogue's permission.

Their link was indeed getting stronger, as Xavier had predicted. They could not yet 'talk' to each other but sometimes, if they concentrated enough, they could hear each other's thoughts like a whisper in their ear. Their emotions were more easily transmitted between one another but they didn't really notice much. Both had agreed to work with Xavier on strengthening their shields after Rogue's attack so if either one were ever targeted again, the other wouldn't be so distracted by the onslaught of emotions or feelings that passed through the link. It had taken three weeks for Remy's shoulder to heal from his spill in the Danger Room, proof that their connection could be harmful. They would not be kept out completely, but at least the person on the receiving end would only feel a dull throb and not an intense pain.

They still shared dreams, sometimes on a nightly basis. None of it still really made much sense to them as to their meaning or purpose, but they were lasting longer and now they were able to determine that their dreams were usually based in one of three time periods. Often times various occupants of the mansion would show up in the dreams, as well as Remy's father. They couldn't really understand what was going on in each of the time periods but one constant seemed to tie all three of them together: everyone always managed to imply that Rogue and Remy were romantically linked. They had never actually seen themselves in the dreams so they couldn't verify if it was really them that the dreams were referring to but to Remy it seemed completely obvious that it was. Why else would her friends and his father show up so often? Why else were they never seen? Why else did they share a unique mental bond? 

This new information is why Remy was currently outside in the middle of the night, blankly staring at the item resting in his palm. It was really nothing special, just an Italian charm bracelet that seemed to be all the rage lately. Since Rogue was no longer restricted to the grounds, Remy had asked permission to take her out for a little bit earlier that day. The professor had agreed and Rogue had reacted to the news as if he had told her she had just won a million dollars. He treated her to lunch at a small café she said she dined at often and then had driven them to the mall so she could walk around and pick up a few items for herself. The first item on her agenda was to replace all her discarded makeup. With Remy having a comment for every selection her hand hovered over, it took them nearly an hour before finally leaving with just a black eyeliner and soft burgundy shaded lip color. They visited a few other shops, picking up various items, and saved the music store for last. While Rogue was sampling what seemed like a hundred CD's, Remy had wandered outside the store and browsed the kiosks that lined the center of the mall. He glanced at the charms in the case at one booth and promptly bought a bracelet and three charms to give to Rogue. She had a wide variety of jewelry and he didn't remember seeing this among her collection. At the time it seemed like a good idea but now he wasn't so sure, which is why he was now sitting outside. The bracelet had only one charm on it currently: a gothic cross. The other two charms, a playing card with ace of spades on it and a simple gold heart, laid in his hand along side the bracelet. He looked at the balcony doors that led to the room they shared and sighed, running his free hand through his hair. His feelings towards Rogue were one of the many things that had changed. Despite his vow to not get involved with Rogue, he couldn't fight his feelings anymore; he was falling for her and it scared him to bits. It wasn't because they spent so much time together, he knew, since they hardly spent the majority of the day together anymore. It was during those times apart when he missed being with her that clued him in. He missed her smiles, sass and sarcasm. He didn't care that she could go from being ice cold to sweet and almost innocent or the fact that they could not touch made any sort of physical relationship nearly impossible. When he tried to charm the other girls in the house for fun she told him to have fun. Every so often he would flirt with her just to try and get a rise out of her but she not only played along, she upped the ante to a point where sometimes he had to back down. She was the only person who met him challenge for challenge and the sheer fire in her soul drew him to her like a moth to a flame. She was the light in his life but he didn't know if she felt the same way. They had built a solid friendship together and he didn't want to jeopardize that. Plus, he didn't want her to think that he only liked her because their dreams seem to be implying that they should be together. These feelings had been stirring in his heart since day one. As much as he wanted to admit them to her, he didn't want to risk making things awkward between them. He didn't know if he could handle her being uncomfortable around him.

Getting to his feet he sighed again, this time out of frustration. Pocketing the jewelry he started for the house when he was suddenly stopped in his place by a mental cry of anguish. "Rogue!" he cried out, racing for the back door. He was almost to the door when it suddenly slammed open and Rogue came flying out. He skidded to a halt and watched as she ran into the woods surrounding the property. Switching directions he followed her, buttoning up his shirt and he went. The wooded area was a bit dense and Remy was thankful that his strange eyes gave him the ability to see in the dark. He didn't know how far she had gone therefore forcing him to rely on the emotions she was emitting and his own spatial awareness to try and pinpoint her location. Staying as quiet as possible so he could hear the faintest noise, he walked through the forest searching for her. It took him a couple of minutes but he finally found her under a cluster of trees. She was sitting on the ground with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her back was to him but he could tell she was crying. Her body shook as she tried to calm herself. He knelt down behind her and laid a hand on her back. Thankfully, she had worn a long-sleeved shirt and pants to bed. "_Chére, _what's wrong?"

Rogue turned around and he noticed that her eyes were closed but tears still streamed down her cheeks. "They're gone, Remy. Gone. Kurt, Katherine, Logan, Ororo. My only family! And now I'm on the run." She buried her face in his chest.

Instinctively, Remy held her tight but his mind was spinning. *What de hell was she talkin' 'bout? An' what happened to her accent?* "Rogue, it's okay. Y' safe."

She pulled back, her eyes still closed. "How? I'm a sorceress; you're a prince. You have your duties; I'm a wanted woman! There is a bounty already on my head no doubt. What can we do?"

Remy was at a loss for words. *A sorceress an' a prince . . .?* 

"Gambit! What's going on?"

He whirled around but figured he may have done so too fast since it made him momentarily dizzy. He blinked his eyes and when his sight came to focus he saw Xavier standing at the end of the courtyard. Raw anger exploded within him and he let three charged cards fly straight at Xavier.

Charles raised his arms to shield himself but it was not necessary. Magneto reacted quickly, erecting a shield around both of them. 

"He seems quite angry with you," Magneto said as another volley of cards hit his shield.

"Yes, he does, but I am not sure why. His mind is completely blank."

"Y' killed her!" Remy stood, hands glowing and eyes blazing. 

"Killed who?" Xavier called out.

"Y' killed her." Remy looked down at Rogue who was lying on the ground. Suddenly, his head snapped up and a fan of cards appeared in each hand. With a pained cry, Remy let them fly.

Eric grunted with effort as the impacting cards exploded against his shield once again. "You must do something, Charles. He is pouring more energy into his attacks. I do not know how long I can withstand a continued assault."

"I understand." Charles had already tried to calm Remy mentally to no avail. His shields were at their strongest and his current emotional state seemed to reinforce them. He turned to his alternative. Rogue? Rogue, I need your help. You must wake up.

Rogue visible stirred. Wha-? Professor? Her mind was hazy with sleep but she still heard his call. Opening her eyes, she saw Remy towering over her. His entire body seemed to be glowing. Through her own shields she could feel his pain, his grief. Professor, what's wrong?! Why am Ah outside? Why does he think Ah'm dead?!

Rogue! Thank, goodness. Remy is not himself. He does think you are dead. We must convince him otherwise. Do not stand up or you might get hit. Can you reach him through your link? 

She watched as Remy threw a wave of cards at the professor and Magneto. The force of the blow hit what Rogue assumed was a magnetic shield but it caused Magneto to fall to one knee. Ah'll try. Concentrating hard she sent a thought through their link. Remy! It's me. Stop! 

Remy's arm froze in mid throw. He thought he heard a voice, _her_ voice. "_Chére_? Is dat you?" His arms fell to his sides but he did not let go of his cards.

Rogue stood up slowly until they were face to face. She saw his face go from confusion to shock. "Remy, it's okay. It's me. Ah'm not dead. See?" She hugged him tight to show him she was real. When she pulled back, she could see traces of disbelief cloud his eyes. She watched as he tossed away one set of cards and tried not to flinch as he reached his free hand towards her and captured a lock of her hair. Rolling the strands between his fingers for a moment, he then dropped the hand to her shoulder and looked at her. "Remy, it's really me. Ah'm alive." 

In an instant his face crumbled with emotion and he pulled her into a fierce hug, sobbing into her shoulder. "Oh, God. I t'ought y' were dead. I t'ought he killed y'."

Rogue rubbed her hands up and down his back in comfort. "Shh. It's okay. No one killed me. Ah'm still here. It's alright." 

Remy held onto her like a lifeline. "I love y' so much . . . I promise no one will ever hurt y' . . . I'll protect y' . . . I love y' . . ."

Rogue's heart had started to pound at the first admission. *Calm down, girl. The professor said he's not himself. Calm down.* She put it out of her mind and tried to send soothing feelings through their shared connection, while Charles and Eric looked on, unsure of it they should approach.

Soon Remy had quieted down but remained embraced with Rogue. "_Chére_?"

"Yeah, sugah?"

"What jus' happened?"

**********

Very early the next morning, Remy and Rogue found themselves seated on the sleek black leather loveseat in the professor's office. The professor sat behind his large mahogany desk and Eric stood to his right. Ororo, Logan, Hank and, for reasons unknown, Warren Worthington III were also in attendance. Despite the perceived seriousness of the meeting, Remy was leaned back into the couch with Rogue's head resting on his shoulder, both still exhausted from the night before.

Charles cleared his throat. "Thank you all for being here. I know the hour is quite early, but I wanted to conduct this meeting before the other students awaken. As you all know Remy and Rogue have somehow developed a unique mental bond. Hank and I have been researching how such a phenomenon could have occurred considering that they have really known each other for little over a month and the bond was already in existence prior to their second meeting when Eric and his associates agreed to reside here temporarily."

"T'ird."

All eyes shifted towards the loveseat. "I'm sorry?" the professor asked.

"Movin' here was de t'ird time I saw Rogue. Saw her at school once."

Everyone just stared blankly at him for a moment until Logan spoke up. "Was there a point to that, Cajun?"

"Not really. Jus' wanted to keep the prof accurate."

"Ugh." Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Um, thank you, Remy. As I was saying, Hank and I have been searching for a possible cause and as of yet have no conclusion. Neither one are related in any way nor do they possess any telepathic powers. The true potential of their link is unknown but we have been noting its capabilities. At first, it allowed for both of them to enter each other's dreams. It was then discovered that they could feel each other's feelings, as was evident in Remy's first Danger Room session. It seems that they do not physically manifest the injuries felt by the other since Rogue did not have any shoulder pain after Remy was injured. In the same sense, Remy sustained no damage to his mental shields after Rogue's attack. Now they are able to hear each other's thoughts to some degree. We believe that at some point they will be able to communicate mentally." He took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "A month ago Rogue was attacked by two telepaths. Eric and I have been able to uncover their identities. The first, Emma Frost, was a former colleague of mine. The second, Elisabeth Braddock, is her protégé. Both are also known as the White Queen and Psylocke respectively. With the help of Warren, we were able to learn that both are part of the extremely elite Hellfire Club. Since Warren is a member himself, he was able to explain to us the inner workings of the organization. To the public, this association is nothing more than a formal gathering of world's most wealthy and influential individuals. Several charters are in existence, including one in New York. From what Warren has told us, the club has what is called an 'Inner Circle' composed of the clubs most powerful members, including Emma Frost. These members also happen to be enhanced with super powers but are not necessarily all mutants. According to one of Warren's contacts, this Inner Circle can be hired to perform various high profile 'jobs'. They are the least likely to be suspected and have the power and financial means to carry out such orders. One such order happened to be the attack on Rogue. Through our combine sources, Eric and I have discovered who sent out the contract. It was Mesmero."

Without thinking, Remy wrapped an arm around Rogue's shoulders. Rogue was a bit surprised at the gesture but did not comment. Logan emitted a small growl, which Ororo tried to calm by placing a hand on his shoulder as she spoke. "Is it safe to assume that Mesmero would like to employ Rogue in uncovering the third key?"

"It would appear so but I am not so sure. According to Jean and Remy's recollections, Psylocke had said that she was originally after Rogue but that Remy would do just fine. That leads me to believe that either Rogue or Remy would be useful in retrieving the third key. Therefore, I think that it would be in our best interest to let Rogue return to school next week as we had originally forecasted and instead keep them both on the mansion grounds as much as possible. An adult must supervise any more trips out. No going out with the other students. I know that you both do not like being confined here, as you have been for the past couple of months, but until we figure out how to handle what is being held behind that third door we must take precaution. Is that clear?"

Both nodded in agreement. It wasn't as if they could say no.

"Good. Now, in addition to gathering information on our mysterious attackers, Mr. Worthington has been conducting his own research to try and discover Mesmero's purpose for these keys. His findings have been less than comforting. According to ancient legend, the dawn of a new age will come will the resurrection of the Great Apocalypse. With his rise to power the world will be purged of those unworthy of life. Mass destruction shall reign supreme and the elite few shall pave the way to a new era in which Apocalypse will as a god. If Mesmero is successful in his quest to release this abomination, the world as we know it will cease to exist. However, all hope is not lost. The law of nature requires a balance between what is good and what is evil. Apocalypse's rise to power is limited in two ways. First of all, Apocalypse requires a host body in order to transcend to our plane of existence. Not just any body can be used. There is a Chosen One, only one person who can contain such an immense power. There also exists a Supreme Guardian who is the only one who can prevent Apocalypse's rise to power."

"How do we know that this guardian isn't dead already? Or the chosen one for that matter. Hell, it sounds like all we have to do is kill the host and the world is saved." Logan interjected.

"If only it were that simple. Both the host and the guardian are protected until the third door has been opened. They could not be killed if we exploded a nuclear bomb on them."

"Ah, yes," said Hank, "the ever present 'catch'."

"'Catch' indeed. Remember this is merely a legend and only one possible lead, which is why I am informing you all first. We have not uncovered any other evidence supporting this theory."

"Charles, if I may interrupt." Ororo stood and addressed those in the room. "I believe that I may be able to support your theory. When I was serving as high priestess in Africa I was told many stories. One of these stories was of a creature of immense power that would one day come and claim the earth as his own. I always dismissed the story as a means of scaring children into being thankful for what they had but one day I stumbled upon a cave. It was located high up on a mountain range, making it impossible to get there on foot. The walls of the cave depicted a mural of the story and appeared quite old. I remember it showing a being coming through a portal and taking over a body left in sacrifice. A great warrior was drawn defeating the creature and sending it back through the portal. I believe that your legend and my story are one in the same."

The room sat silent after Ororo's admission. The professor was stoic in his seat, hands steepled, brow furrowed in thought. All eyes looked to him for direction, even Eric. After a moment he spoke.

"Thank you, Ororo. What you have said gives us all a more solid starting point. Eric had previously decided to take Jean, Scott and John to investigate the area from which Warren's findings originated. In addition I would like to send a small team to Africa to try and find this cave. It may hold more answers to our questions. Ororo, take Kitty and Piotr with you. Kitty's knowledge of computer technology would be helpful in documenting evidence and her phasing ability would be an asset. Piotr would provide any strength you need. Logan, I would like you to take Ray and Kurt and seek out a mutant named Caliban. He has the ability to seek out other mutants. Hank, Warren here would like to go over some of his findings with you. Remy, Rogue, I'm going to have to cancel our appointment for today so instead I have scheduled a mild Danger Room session for the both of you. Ororo will supervise which means it must be done before she leaves. Other than that you have the rest of the day to yourselves. You are all free to go but please report back to me if you discover any more leads. Everyone shuffled out of the office except for Eric, closing the door behind them.

"You did not tell them about the events that transpired last night," he stated.

"I did not feel it was necessary."

"Unnecessary? The boy tried to kill you last night."

"Yes, but I also know that he was himself. When I scanned him his mind was like a blank slate. When Rogue ran out of the house her was the same. Yet, they were able to communicate with one another. I also noted that their link strengthened tremendously last night. I suspect that these dreams are what fuel the link between them and I believe that their actions last night were actually them acting out their parts in their dreams."

Eric looked puzzled. "I still do not follow your reasoning."

"Both of them are being targeted for some unknown reason. The only link to each other that they have is the bond they share. Their's is a mystery that requires time to unravel and no disturbances. A new presence takes away from the interaction that they share with each other."

"I see. So this is why you are sending us all out of the mansion."

"I am not sending everyone out," Charles protested.

"Fine. Just those who have been watching them like a hawk." Eric managed a rare smile.

"No. Just those who have appeared in their dreams frequently."

Eric looked serious once more. "And what about you Charles? You have no means of defense against them."

Charles handed him a piece of paper. "I will not be here the entire time. I, too, have my own research to conduct."

Eric looked at the note in his hands. It read:

_Charles Xavier,_

_I may have some of the answers you seek._

_Irene Adler_

**********

Thanks again to all those who have stayed with me this long. I'll keep writing as long as I know someone is enjoying this. Happy reading!


	14. Back to Bayville Part VI

Back to Bayville – Part VI

Later on that evening, Rogue found herself tucked away in a corner of the mansion's library. A book lay open on her lap but instead of reading she was staring off into space. She often came into the library to be alone since nobody bothered to utilize it. Professor Xavier had quite an extensive collection of books and had mentioned it to her when he noticed that she was bringing home leisure reading from the school library. Right now, though, Rogue's thoughts were not on the musings of Edgar Allen Poe, but instead on her own musings of a certain Remy Lebeau. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. *Your avoidin' him, gal,* she told herself. And she was. Between his dream-induced proclamation of love last night and his protective behavior this morning, she didn't know what to think anymore. In her Danger Room session earlier today her thoughts had been so distracting that she couldn't concentrate on sparring with Remy and ended up with several new bruises. Since then she had taken to simple avoidance. Being around him made it too hard to sort out whatever it was she was feeling. *And what am Ah feeling exactly?* she wondered. Over the past few weeks she had grown extremely comfortable around the resident Cajun and found herself unable to keep from opening up to him. They had such a great time together and everything between them seemed to work like clockwork. Often times she found herself hoping that their time together would never end and it was those thoughts that were beginning to scare her. Ever since he had saved her from the attack on her mind, she had been working quite hard to keep from feeling anything remotely romantic towards him. She would remind herself over and over again that he was the enemy, that she couldn't touch, and that it was not really her feelings but those of their dreams. At some point, she found those excuses being replaced with thoughts of how he made her smile, how he made her feel special and how she was finding it more and more difficult to imagine her life without his presence.

She got up from her seat to stretch her sore muscles and wandered over to the window. Her gaze fell upon the grove of trees that she had found herself in last night. Remy's actions last night made her even more confused. Granted, she understood that he was not himself, but in what way was he not himself? He had thought she was dead and that simple idea had spurned such strong feelings of grief and despair in him. She would never forget the feeling of emptiness he emitted and the pain clearly etched on his face. The concept of losing her had affected him so much and she didn't understand why. Her heart was screaming 'because he loves you!' but her mind wasn't so quick to believe. Thy hadn't talked about what happened last night so he didn't know what he had said and she wasn't sure how she got outside. The professor and Magneto had left after making sure they were okay and soon after they went to bed so the entire matter was left hanging between them. Therefore, he didn't know that he had said that he loved her. At some point she would have to go to him for clarification if she wanted the discomfort between them to be alleviated, but for right now, her confusion allowed a small part of her to believe that he meant it.

**********

The next afternoon, Charles Xavier found himself seated inside a quaint little house situated near the banks of the Mississippi River. His eyes wandered around the room and couldn't help but smile as he took in the former home of one of his most difficult to reach students. Pictures of Rogue decorated the room, taken at various ages. He memorized the looks of pure joy that showed in all the snapshots for it was an emotion that Rogue hardly ever displayed. He moved to pick up a frame when his hostess entered the room and took a seat opposite him.

"Ms. Adler."

"Professor Xavier. I trust Rogue is well?"

"She has recovered for the most part. I have restricted her to the mansion for her safety."

Irene nodded. "I see. And her companion?"

"Her companion?"

"Do not sound surprised. We are both well aware of the extent of my abilities. Otherwise, I highly doubt you would be here right now."

Xavier regained his composure. "Of course. Remy is . . . quite fond of Rogue. In many ways I feel he is more protective of her than Logan."

"Is that so? I suppose that could be viewed as a good thing."

They traded idle chatter for a while before Xavier felt it was time to get to the point. "Am I correct to assume that Rogue and Remy are the reason that I am visiting you today?"

"Quite possibly." Irene stood and walked over to the bookcase, removing a thin hard-back journal from one of the shelves. She sat down next to Charles and began to explain. "Since the second door has been unlocked, I have been receiving visions nearly everyday. Many of them are repetitive. I have documented what I have seen so far but I am afraid I will not be much help in interpreting their meanings." She flipped through the pages of the book and Xavier was overwhelmed with the myriad of images and words. He asked to look through the tome and turned the pages slowly, trying to make sense of the distorted images.

"You are writing in several different languages. You do not know the translations?"

"No. Whatever I see I write. These visions come to me shrouded in darkness. Often times the images are fuzzy so my pictures may not be accurate."

"I see." Xavier continued to pour over the drawings, trying to make sense of them. The pages themselves were bordered with words_. __Le rêve est clef. Le lien doit être fort. Der Traum ist Schlüssel. Die Verbindung muß stark sein. Il sogno è chiave. Il collegamento deve essere forte. O sonho é chave. A ligação deve ser forte. __ang managinip ay susi. ang ikawil dapat maaari malakas. somnium est key. link must exsisto validus. όνειρο is κλειδί. σύνδεσμος μουστάκι να είμαι δυνατός._ It did not take him long to translate. _The dream is the key. The link must be strong_. An obvious reference to Rogue and Remy. The images were a bit more difficult to decipher. On every page, a dark figure stood silhouetted in flames. Some pages displayed what looked like corpses at the feet of the figure. Others showed a figure lying down on what appeared to be some sort of sacrificial table. Smaller pictures surrounded the central figure and Charles recognized many of them. *I know many of these people but I cannot figure out why they are here.* When he finally flipped to the last page Irene spoke up.

"What do you know of their connection?"

Charles was a bit surprised by the question. The page he was looking at showed a single playing card, the ace of spades, and a gothic cross, connected by chain links. "The connection represented here?"

"Yes."

He traced his fingers over the images. "It is as you have drawn it, very strong and formidable, but not without weaknesses. All of its capabilities are still unknown to us. It serves a purpose but we do not know what that purpose is."

Irene nodded. "I expected as much." She stood and moved to exit the room. "You may keep the book. It is a copy. Would you care for some lunch?"

Tucking the journal inside his jacket and noting the many questions it had spurned in his mind, he replied, "Lunch sounds wonderful."

**********

Remy sat in the Rec Room, dozing on the large couch while soft jazz played in the background. He had not really slept well the night before and it had finally caught up with him. After the meeting yesterday morning he had wanted to talk to Rogue about what had happened the night before but she seemed to be carefully avoiding him. He knew something was on her mind and it had to do with him. Her less than stellar performance in the Danger Room only strengthened his suspicions and he wanted to know what he had done. Their link allowed them to know where each other was at all times and she had managed to put quite a bit of distance between them despite being confined to the house. Every time he tried to move closer to her location, she moved. After a while he gave up his chase and left her to herself. Last night he had laid awake in bed, waiting for her to come in. When she had finally crept in at about three in the morning he still could not sleep because all the thoughts running through her mind were creating a constant buzzing in his. At some point she finally fell asleep and he followed soon after. When he woke this morning she was already gone. He was slowly drifting off to sleep when he felt a pair of hands cover his eyes.

"Guess – omph!" Rogue soon found herself lying on her back on the couch, pinned down, with a glowing card near her neck. She was so caught off guard she was momentarily speechless.

Remy tried to clear the sleepy haze from his mind so he could focus on his attacker. When he finally realized who was under him his eyes widened with horror and he quickly moved off, tossing away his card.

"Mental note, never try to sneak up on you again," Rogue said as she took Remy's pre-offered hand to help her up.

"I'm so sorry, _chére._ Old habit. Didn' know it was y'."

"It's okay. Reflex, Ah know. Ah've seen ya do it before."

They found themselves sitting on opposite sides of the couch. A strange discomfort hung between them, a feeling that had been absent since day one. They stared at each other until Remy broke the silence.

"Y' been avoidin' me."

It was more a statement than a question and Rogue inwardly winced at the accusation. It was quite difficult for her to meet his eyes so she focused on her hands folded in her lap. "Yes, Ah was. Ah needed to think and Ah couldn't do it around ya."

"Didn' wan' me to 'hear'?"

"Didn't want to be distracted." She tried to lighten the comment with a smile.

Remy briefly smiled back. "Can' help dat I'm so charmin'."

"Yeah." Rogue sighed and closed her eyes, rubbing her temples.

Concern flashed across Remy's face. "What's wrong, _chére_? Anot'er headache?"

"No. Just trying to clear my head. There's so much Ah want to say but Ah don't know how to say it." She felt her hands being gently down from her head. He didn't let go, but instead held on for comfort. When she opened her eyes he was sitting right in front of her, silently waiting for her to start.

"This is gonna sound so dumb . . ." she shook her head. Taking in a deep breath she started. "Ah need to know something."

He nodded for her to continue.

"The other night-"

"Wait a minute," he let go of her hands and crossed his arms in front of him. "If dis be about de ot'er night, y' gonna have to fill me on what I don' know."

"Ah was getting to that." She crossed her own arms. "The other night, the prof said ya weren't yourself. The way ya acted, the things ya said, kinda confused me a bit." She looked up to see Remy looking at her pointedly. "Fine. For some odd reason ya thought Ah was dead and went all buck wild on the prof. Ya thought he killed me. Ya were so angry and so hurt and ya felt so empty thinking Ah was gone. When ya realized Ah was still alive, ya were so happy ya were cryin'. And then, ya, said . . . ya told me . . . ya said ya loved me. The professor said ya were probably in some kind a dream state since that's how Ah ended up outside but Ah guess . . .Ah guess Ah just want ta know if he was right and ya didn't mean anything by it."

Remy just stared at her for a moment, letting the information sink in. When he didn't say anything after a while, Rogue took it as a sign that he was trying to think of a way to let her down so, not wanting to face the embarrassment, she got up to leave. As she was walking out the door she staggered to remain on her feet as a wave of emotion assaulted her. She whirled around and leaned on the doorframe for support. "What're ya doing?"

Remy was already off the couch and walking towards her. "Tellin' y' what y' want to know. Wasn' really how I planned on doin' it but it'll have to do." He reached for her and pulled her into an embrace so he could support her. Using his empathy as a booster he fed his feelings and thoughts through their link. She closed her eyes and laid her head on his chest as the new feelings flowed through her. When he was finished he felt her body go limp as she tried to process everything that he had fed her. He picked her up and laid her on the couch so that her head was in his lap. Slowly he ran his fingers through her hair as he waited for her to wake up.

Rogue was on her own personal high. She was astounded at how beautiful love really was. Remy loved her. Not because the dreams say he's supposed to, but because of who she was. She saw how he pictured their first date and how he always tried to make her smile. She also saw how he longed to touch her. He imagined the feel of her skin under his fingers, the sensation of her lips on his. Everything he had showed her was so strong that she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed and a bit frightened. 

A very worried Remy watched over Rogue was tears began to stream out of the corners of her eyes. *Shit,* he thought. *What if she don' feel de same?* He started to panic a bit as he began to mull over the repercussions of his actions.

Don't worry.

Rogue's voice echoed through his head and he looked down at her. A small smile appeared on her face.

It's okay. 

Are y' sure?

"Yes." She opened her eyes and looked into his. "Ah guess Ah got my answer."

"Yeah, but I feel like I been left hangin'." He gave her a soft smile.

"Yeah." She laid there, quiet. "Ah'm a bit scared."

"Scared? Of what? Me?"

"No, not really. More along the lines of 'us'. Ah've never felt this strongly for someone, ya know, enough to be willing to lay down my life for that person. Ah've seen some of what ya would like to have. Ah can't give ya some of those things." Her voice cracked a bit at the last comment. "And Ah'm afraid of losin' what we already have. Ah know it sounds corny but you've been like my best friend. It would really hurt to have things be awkward between us if things didn't work out."

He cupped her cheek with a free hand. "Dat ain't gonna happen. We always be friends first. I promise. And about dat ot'er stuff. . . y' may not believe me but I really don' care about your powers. Just bein' around y' is enough. Nearly drove me crazy yesterday when y' wouldn' talk to me."

She reached up and squeezed his hand with her own. "Ah know. Ah'm sorry. Ah just needed to deal with it my way." She changed position, getting up and resting her head on his shoulder. "Where does that leave us now?"

"Here." He reached into his pocket and retrieved the bracelet. "I meant to give dis to y', complete wit' de whole 'will y' be my girlfriend' speech, but I was in de process of workin' up de nerve. When y' wouln' talk to me yesterday I chickened out."

Rogue looked at the charm bracelet and couldn't help but smile. There were only two charms on it, a gothic cross and an ace of spades, but it wasn't hard to understand the meaning. 

"I got anot'er charm for it but I figured y' could put it on when y' were ready." He handed her the hearts.

"Thank you," she managed to get out through teary eyes. She quickly gave him a hug and he held her tight, not willing to let go right away.

"T'ink we should tell everyone?"

"Only if you want Logan to build ya your own room."

"Nah, I kinda like wakin' up next to y', even if we are in separate beds."

**********

Ororo, Kitty and Piotr wandered through the cave, studying the drawings on the wall. They had encountered no trouble in locating the cavern that Ororo had told them about and were taking pictures of the drawings in hopes of discovering what it all meant. 

"How are you two coming along?" Ororo asked her charges.

"Pretty good, Piotr and I have just about taken pictures of everything we've seen and I'm uploading them to the computer."

"Good. I think we are nearly at the end." Inside, Ororo was quite glad that he cave was extremely large and the pictures were near the entrance, otherwise her claustrophobia would have ending this mission quickly. Her flashlight shone across the walls and she mentally translated any writing she could see. So far all of the pictures and words coincided with what she had told the others in their meeting. She searched each section of the wall thoroughly, making sure she was not overlooking any details. "Has anyone seen anything that could represent what we are looking for?" she called out.

"Not really. Just all the same stuff you've already told us about," Kitty called out.

Ororo nodded to herself, keeping her eyes on the wall. Suddenly, her light illuminated a mural that she did not remember seeing before.

"Kitty, Piotr, I think I have found what we are looking for."

The two hurried to Ororo's side and gazed at the images that adorned the side of the cave. A huge painting depicted a large, dark, ominous figure bathed in flames. A set of hieroglyphics was etched at the bottom of the picture. 

"What does it say?" Kitty asked. 

"_The dream is the key, the link must be strong."_

Both Kitty and Piotr looked puzzled. "What does that mean?" Piotr asked.

Storm moved her flashlight across the wall and settled on another image. "I think this provides a nice clue."

They followed the light and Kitty gasped at what she saw. A large man stood in a battle stance, hands aglow with fire. However, it was his eyes that made elicited the gasp. They were red on black.

Ororo read the inscription near the base. "_And he shall come to protect us all."_

**********

In New York City, Logan, Kurt and Ray all sat together in an abandoned warehouse, waiting. "Ya sure he's gonna show, kid?" Logan asked. His patience was wearing thin. They had been sitting around for almost two hours.

Ray's answer was a bit defensive. "Yeah, he's usually pretty good about this stuff. Give it time. We only set the word out a few hours ago. We don't know if he even got the message yet." 

"Vhell, I hope he shows soon. It's been ages since vhe've had zomething to eat. Plus, mein schwester is home without many adults. I have a bad feeling zat something might happen to her."

"Don't sweat it, Elf. The Cajun'll watch over her." Logan was going to continue but froze before he could say anything. "He's here."

They all stood as Caliban slinked out of the shadows. He regarded each one of them with a look before settling on Ray.

"I hear that you have been looking for me." He stated, his eerie voice echoing through the empty building.

"Yes, we did. We are looking for someone. Could you help us?" Ray asked.

"And why ssshould I help you?"

"You would just be playing a role in saving the world. No big deal." Logan told him with a scowl on his face.

Caliban pondered this for a moment before asking, "Who isss it you ssseek?"

"A man named Mesmero."

They stood silently as Caliban closed his eyes in concentration. "He isss clossse. Baaayville. He isss not alone."

"Looks like he may be on the hunt. We gotta get back. Thanks, bub." Both he and Kurt ran back to the jeep, while Ray hung back for a moment.

"Yesss?" Caliban stared at the young mutant.

"Just one last question. Evan. Is he okay?" 

"He isss safe. Do not worry."

Ray smiled. "Thanks." He turned and started jogging towards the jeep. "Take care!" he called over his shoulder.

Caliban nodded before melting back into the darkness.

**********

Rogue and Remy had been sitting in the Rec Room for a while, not really talking, just enjoying each other's presence. Both had been fighting to stay awake but the sultry jazz beats were extremely soothing. Rogue sat with her head leaning on a dozing Remy's shoulder, eyes closed. Remy held her hand tightly, as if she would disappear if he didn't. As a new song came on the stereo he nudged Rogue a bit.

"May I have this dance, _chére_?" She nodded and they walked over to a clear space in the room. They held each other close, Rogue's head resting on his right shoulder. He could feel her breath on his neck and his desire for her quickly multiplied ten-fold.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked softly. He felt her nod and continued. "I know it may sound crazy, but I love you. I'm in love with you. I feel like I've known you forever and I know it's only been less than a week. I feel like we belong together."

Rogue kissed him on the neck. "It doesn't sound crazy. I feel the exact same way. My heart's been calling out to you since day one. I've loved you from the moment we met. I don't know why, but it just feels right."

Remy was singing inside at her admission. He wanted nothing more than to be with this woman. If only . . .  "I know that Scott-"

She put a finger up to his lips to silence his words. "I don't want to be with Scott anymore. I just want to be with you."

He kissed her finger before moving it away from his lips. "I understand, but won't he be upset? Will our being together put you in danger?"

"I'm in no more danger than you are. We're both messing with his reputation and you have a business deal to worry about." She sighed and held him tighter. "But I don't want to think about that right now. I just want to think about us." To prove her point she met her lips with his and all thoughts of Scott drained away, for both of them.

**********

Hank stepped out of the elevator, reading over the papers in his hand. He had spent the past couple of days down in his lab trying to decipher the clues that Warren had provided him. The process was painstakingly slow but he had been able to figure some of the clues out and now trying to figure out how they were related. He figured it would be another long night and had decided to go up and grab some snacks to keep him nourished while he worked. He rounded the corner and heard soft jazz chords wafting out of the Rec Room. Thinking that everyone should have been in bed already, he went to peek in and see who was still up.

He was so stunned by what he saw that all he could do was stare, completely dumbfounded.

Rogue and Remy stood, holding each other tightly, and _kissing_. Not only were they touching, but they were _glowing_. Both were bathed in a bright orange light. Hank clamped his hand over his mouth as the professor's words rang through his head, '_Let them act out their dreams. Do not wake them unless they are in danger._' Hundreds of thoughts raced through his mind as he continued to watch. All of a sudden, the glow went out and Rogue and Remy collapsed to the ground, clutching their heads as they screamed in pain.

**********

Hi All!

It's been a while, but finals and graduation ended up getting in the way. That's okay, though. I'm finally free! I have no job yet, though. Kind of a crappy time to get out of college. :( Anyhow, I should have more time to write now. I really want to hurry up and finish this so I can start my new one. I noticed that my last chapter had a lot of grammatical errors and I apologize for that. I also saw that I spelled Magneto's real name wrong. A big 'I'm sorry' to all those who found that extremely irritating. The reviews have been great, as always. Thank you for those. Now for a bit of feedback:

Neurotic Temptress – Hmmm . . .  did it turn out the way you expected?

Goldylokz – Not too much chaos, I think. Sorry if you were disappointed.

Rogue Star – I guess the confession was addressed. Not a whole lot of suspense there.

Panther Nesmith – I'm an inspiration? Wow. Thanks! 

Everyone else who wanted me to update soon – I'm trying! Thanks for hanging in there!


	15. Back to Bayville VII

Back to Bayville – Part VII

Charles waited patiently as the computer attempted to establish a connection. Within minutes, Ororo's face filled the screen. "Hello, Storm. Any news?"

She smiled in greeting. "We have successfully located the cave and have documented all of the murals on the walls. I believe our search here has been quite fruitful."

Intrigued, he asked, "What were you able to find?"

"There was a large picture that I believe was supposed to be a representation of Apocalypse. Near the picture was an inscription that said '_The dream is the key. The link must be strong_.'"

"Good. That particular quote coincides with the clues we have be given thus far."

Ororo nodded and continued. "It also appears that we have made an important discovery. I am sending you the image now."

Charles watched the image download and was not surprised at what he saw. "Hmm…thank you. I am almost back at the mansion. Stay where you are for right now and I will let you know what further instructions I have for you." Ororo's face disappeared as Charles continued to study the picture remaining on the screen. He pulled out the journal from Irene and flipped a few pages. The image on the screen mirrored the drawing in the book, a man with red on black eyes. The only difference in the two pictures was that the screen had an accompanying quote, _'And he shall come to protect us all.'_

**********

Hank bounded over to the now unconscious duo lying on the floor. He checked both of their pulses and was relieved to find them both relatively strong. "Of all the days to pick to fall asleep outside your room . . ." he muttered to himself, gingerly picking them both up and heaving them over his shoulders. With the intent of placing them in the shielded bedroom, Hank raced out of the room, only to come to a complete stop at the edge of the stairs. Slowly, he turned and walked away from the stairs towards the front foyer. Placing Remy on a nearby chair, he opened the front door with Rogue cradled in his arms. He walked robotically down the driveway towards the front gate. With seemingly little effort he leaped over the gate and landed soundlessly. There, he deposited the unconscious girl into Mesmero's waiting arms.

"Thank you, Dr. McCoy," Mesmero said in delight. Hank simply stood rigid, a glassy look on his face. Mesmero turned to one of his companions. Ms. Frost, please ensure that Dr. McCoy and Mr. Lebeau and safely tucked away in mansion. Emma continued to exert her control over the good doctor and watched as he jumped back over the gate and trotted back into the house. Once inside, Hank scooped Remy back up and carried him back into the Rec Room, laying him down on the couch. He then walked over to one of the armchairs and settled into it, instantly asleep.

It is done, Emma informed.

Excellent. Ms. Braddock, if you would?

The trio stood still as dark shadows slinked over to them, quickly engulfing them all. Then, in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

Not soon after, the front gate opened and a jeep came racing in. Stopping near the front door, Logan, Kurt and Ray hurried out and sprinted into the house. Logan had caught Hank's scent upon entering the door and followed it into the Rec Room, the two boys trailing behind. Bursting through the doorway, they saw both Hank and Remy, who both appeared to be sleeping. A pile of papers was scattered at their feet.

Kurt scanned the room. "Vhere's Rogue?"

Wolverine sniffed the air. "I got a trail. Kurt, your with me. Ray, wake 'em up. The cajun ain't supposed to be sleepin' down here." Ray nodded and walked over to Remy.

Logan moved out of the room, focusing on Rogue. The freshest scent was mingled with Hank's and they followed it out the front door. When he reached the end of the trace, Logan let out a small growl. He was not pleased. "Bring us back to the house," he ordered.

They appeared in the Rec Room. Ray had managed to rouse both occupants and Remy now sat, rubbing his temples, while Hank stood with his arms crossed looking positively bewildered.

"Hank, what happened?" Logan asked.

Hank looked over at him. "Honestly? I'm not really sure. The last thing I remember was walking in and seeing Rogue and Remy glowing and then Ray woke me up."

"What?" Remy stopped rubbing his head. "Y' said we were glowin'?"

"Not only were you both glowing but you were touching."

"What?!" four voices asked in unison.

"Wait. Is that why you were knocked out?" Logan directed at Remy.

"_Non_. She was attacked. I t'ink de pain bounced along de link and knocked out bot' of us. Don' remember touchin' Rogue, t'ough."

Hank interjected. "I think you were both stuck in a dream."

"So vhere is Rogue now?"

"She was taken and I have a pretty good idea by who," Logan told them.

"What? How did anyone get in here?"

"They didn't. She was brought outside by what I'm assuming was a mind controlled Hank. That would explain why he don't remember nothin'."

"So who took 'er?" Remy's voice laced with concern.

"Caliban told us that Mesmero was here and he wasn't alone. I'd bet my bike it was him."

Hank nodded in agreement. "That would make sense. We have to alert the professor." 

No need, Hank. I am in the hanger. The professor's voice rang in their minds.

Kurt sat down next to Remy. "Can you find her?"

Remy pressed the heels of his hands against his head. "I tried. I can feel 'er but I don' know where she is yet. She's still out of it."

Logan laid on hand on both their shoulders. "Don't worry, we'll find her. Now all of you get downstairs. The professor's waitin'."

Everyone traveled down into the conference room where the professor was waiting.

"If you would all gather close, there are some things I must show you." He pulled out the journal from Irene and opened it.

"What're we lookin' at, Chuck?"

"This diary is a pictorial representation of our possible future. This particular book dictates events that coincide with the coming of the Apocalypse. What is drawn here may or may not occur but it does provide enough clues to give us a bit of a warning of what to expect." Everyone poured over the images as the professor turned the pages slowly.

"So is that big, black scary thing with the red head is supposed to be Apocalypse?" Ray asked.

"Yes. This image is similar to one that Ororo's team saw in Africa.

"He kinda looks like a creature from Hell with all the fire surrounding him like that. Is that where he's supposed to be from?" 

"No. From what information we have gathered, he is trapped in a different plane of existence."

"Hey prof, what does dis mean?" Remy pointed to a man with eyes exactly like his own.

"That, Remy, represents you. According to the legend, _you_ are the Supreme Guardian."

Remy could have sworn he heard five jaws hit the floor, including his own. "What?! Y'r kiddin' me, right? I ain't dat special. All I do is blow stuff up. How am I gonna stop dis t'ing from takin' over de world?"

Logan crossed his arms. "The kid's got a point there, Charles. He may be a pretty good fighter but do you really think he's got what it takes to save the world?"

"I am not sure, Logan. With everything that has been happening, I would have no doubt that he has a good chance."

"Mein Gott! That looks like Rogue!" Kurt had continued to turn the pages when the professor had started speaking and stopped at the drawing that resembled his sister lying spread-eagle, her face contorted in pain. Her entire body was encased in black and Mesmero's sickly green face loomed in the background, consuming the entire page. "He's going to hurt her!"

Leaning down, Logan studied the picture closely. "Do you think Rogue's the host?"

"Based on that drawing, it is difficult not to," Xavier replied. "The person I received this from also believes that may be the case. It would explain why Rogue was taken."

Hank rubbed his chin in thought. "If Remy and Rogue are indeed the two we are looking for, then they are relatively safe until the third door is unlocked, seeing as how both are 'protected.' We just need to figure out where the third key is before he gets to it."

"Could dis be helpful?" Remy had the book open to the last page, revealing a gothic cross and an ace of spades tethered together with a chain. "I jus' gave Rogue a charm bracelet wit' both o' dese charms on it. And dis part right here, '_Le rêve est clef. __Le lien doit être fort_.' It means 'De dream is de key. De link must be strong.'"

Ray looked confused. "Are you saying that the bracelet is the third key?"

"_Non_. When Rogue was firs' attacked, dey wanted sometin' from our minds. De professor t'oght dat dey were after somtin' from our dreams. I t'ink he was right."

"Do you have an idea of what it might be?" Hank asked, hopeful.

Remy ran a hand through his hair. "Honestly? Not really. We dreamed 'bout so many t'ings it could've been in any o' dem. It'd be like lookin' for a needle in de haystack wit'out knowin' what de needle look like."

"I believe that is one of the main security features of the last key. It is hidden in your minds, in your dreams, and, if I am not mistaken, you and Rogue need to be in relatively close proximity in order for your dreams to occur," Hank told him.

"True, but we remember what we dream 'bout, unless we're in it. Dat means dat dey could just go t'rough her head and look at everytin' we've seen so far."

"But how do they know vhat to look for?" Kurt piped up.

"I have no doubt that Mesmero has figured out what to look for." The professor sat back in his chair, his hands steepled. "These events are coming together much too quickly for my comfort. Rogue needs to be found before the situation escalates out of hand. I am not comfortable with her in the hands of Mesmero. I also fear for her safety should the third door be opened. If Apocalypse succeeds she will be lost to us forever. I have yet to hear from Erik's team in the Himalayas but will alert them of her capture as soon as I can. Storm's team is still in Africa waiting for orders. I shall keep them on standby while we search for Rogue. Kurt, take Ray and Remy and refuel the Blackbird. Ray, once we are ready to go I'll need you to stay behind with Amara, Bobby and Jamie and keep the mansion on alert." The three boys nodded wordlessly and filed out of the room. Xavier looked at both Logan and Hank. "I wish I could say otherwise but our immediate future looks a bit daunting. I have studied this book intensely and, while if gives no telling of the outcome, it also provides no answers on how to defeat Apocalypse. Should Apocalypse take Rogue as his vessel and transcend to our plane of existence, only Remy possesses the ability to return him back to his former location. However, there is a problem. The depiction of Remy's link to Rogue in this picture is quite accurate. The bond is quite strong but does have its weaknesses. He said himself that the attack on Rogue took him out of commission as well. I believe that if Rogue is taken over, it could prove quite fatal to Remy, thereby destroying our only hope for survival."

"So it's hopeless?" Logan couldn't believe his ears.

"Not entirely." Charles sighed deeply before continuing. "Irene, Rogue's guardian and the woman who gave me this book, discussed the idea of attacking the root of the problem."

Hank's eyes widened in shock as he began to comprehend the professor's meaning. "Are you suggesting that we kill Rogue?"

"I dislike the idea as much as you but it is an option we must consider."

"But, Charles, you would be taking two lives, not just one!" 

"I am well aware of the repercussions Hank."

"And how do you propose we do that? If I'm not mistaken, they are pretty much indestructible right now." Hank was trying very hard to control his outrage.

"Both become vulnerable as soon as the door is opened."

"I don't know, Chuck," Logan started. "I may butt heads with the Cajun but I don't know if I could just take him out like that. And Rogue," he simply shook his head. He would cut off his own legs before letting anything happen to her.

Charles pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is not the solution, merely an option that we may be forced to take. If we can get to Rogue before the door is opened then our options will be different."

All of a sudden, a puff of smoke filled the room, along with the unmistakable scent of brimstone, as Kurt appeared in front of them. "Come quick! I think Remy is hurt!"

**********

 Warren, Jean and Scott trailed behind determined Magneto as they walked through the rumored resting place of Apocalypse. Located deep within the Himalayan Mountains, it had taken them a while to locate the cave's entrance. The atmosphere in the cave seemed quite tense and everyone knew to keep on guard. Every once in a while, John, who was bringing up the rear, would try to lessen the tension buy releasing a flame butterfly or letting loose a flaming puppy. Jean appreciated the effort but it did little to alleviate her unease. Every few moments her eyes would dart around their pathway, trying to figure out what was making feel so uncomfortable. 

Scott sensed Jean's nervousness. "You okay, Jean?" he whispered. For some reason, he felt talking too loud was not a good idea. 

Jean looked at him and gave him a forced smile. "I'm okay. This place just gives me a weird feeling, that's all."

Scott could understand how she felt. From the moment they entered this place he felt really creeped out. They were walking down a very long corridor that was illuminated by widely spaced torches. He was quite surprised to find that they were lit. Not really knowing what to do, he reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Meanwhile, Warren was struggling to keep his wings from ruffling. The path was a bit too enclosed for his comfort and he was starting to feel caged. 

Warren . . .

What the-? Warren looked around at his teammates. None of them were looking at him.

Warren . . . 

He heard it again, like a whisper in his ear.

It's time . . .

Jean stopped walking. "Do you hear that?"

Scott also stopped and turned to look at her. "Hear what?"

She was beginning to feel the hairs stand at the back of her neck. "It was a voice, like a whisper . . ." 

Without warning, darkness covered them, the torches mysteriously extinguished. Scott turned in circles, hand on his visor, looking for the culprit. He was thankful that his visor allowed for night vision. In his search for any danger, though, he failed to see as two of his teammates suddenly disappeared. 

"Pyro!" Mangeto's voice penetrated through the darkness. "Your talents would prove most useful right now."

"Sure thing, boss! Jus' give me a sec to find my light." 

Scott could hear the telltale click of a Zippo lighter being snapped open. He turned in time to see the self-proclaimed pyromaniac turn a simple, dainty flame into a trail of fire, searching out the unlit torches. With their corridor now re-lit, Scott could easily see that they were now short two people. "Jean and Warren are missing."

Magneto's face held a grim look. "How convenient. Scott, please inform Charles of our current situation."

Obediently, Scott reached for his comm. link. "Professor, this is Cyclops."

They heard static for a moment before Xavier's voice could be heard. #_Scott! I was just going to try and contact you.#_

"Well, we kind of have a situation on our hands. We found the cave in the Himalayas but Jean and Warren have disappeared."

#_Hmm. That certainly adds to the problem. Rogue has also gone missing. We are trying to locate her now. I'll try to find Warren and Jean as well. In the mean time, I will send Storm's team to provide you with backup. Let me or her know if your situation changes.#_

"Will do, Professor." Cyclops closed the channel. "So what do we do now?"

**********

The professor, Logan and Hank appeared in at the entrance to the hanger. Kurt had teleported ahead of them and was trying to help Remy to his feet. A faint glow encased him, and he now sported a split lip.

"What happened?" Charles asked, rolling towards him.

Remy held his head. "Rogue, called out to me. She panicked, don' know where she is. Got 'er to calm down a bit."

"How did you get injured?"

"Rogue was gettin' feisty and some _chienne_ punched her," Remy said, eyes sparkling with anger. "She still conscious but she be fakin' like she's knocked out. Got 'er shields real tight so dey can' figure it out."

"Can she talk to you?"

"_Oui_. Said she t'inks she's in some sort of cavern. An' . . . Jean an' Angel be dere, too?"

A look of hope crossed Xavier's face. "Scott just informed me that they had gone missing. Mesmero has probably taken her to the cave they are searching. Storm's team is on their way. We must hurry. It looks as if Mesmero has set his final plan into action." They all boarded the jet, except for Ray. Soon the jet roared to life with the professor at the controls. Ray could only watch as the Blackbird raced down the runway and out of the hanger.

"Good luck, you guys. Come back safe."

**********

Well that was shorter but it's nearing the end. Hope you liked it. I'm not really sure about the cave being in the Himalayas but that's where it's going to be in my story. Thanks again for the continued reviews. They make me feel special :) Happy reading!


	16. Back to Bayville Part VIII

Back to Bayville – Part VIII

"How long will she be under?"

"About two hours. It's difficult to be sure."

"That's quite alright. We should be ready to proceed by then."

Rogue listened as best she could without giving herself away. She tried to stay relaxed and keep her mind blank but it was difficult considering her hands and feet were currently tightly bound to a not so soft chair. Her neck was starting to ache from hanging down onto her chest and her hands were cold since the binding on her wrists was so tight it was limiting circulation to the extremities. Her gloves did nothing to warm them.

Don' worry, _chére_. We be dere soon. Remy's rich voice floated through her head. It was weird. Soon after she awoke she found that she and Remy could now communicate mentally which she assumed was due to their unique bond. She was almost positive that something must have happened last night to all of a sudden kick their link into high gear. Now she was able to not only hear Remy's thoughts and communicate with him, she was completely aware of everything he was aware of.

"Ms. Braddock, could you please escort Mr. Worthington to one of the free chambers? I don't want to risk him coming to his senses."

Rogue listened as the light footsteps trailed off to the left somewhere. 

Prob'ly no exit dere. 

This was going to take some getting used to. 

How much longer are ya goin' to be? she asked.

I t'ink a little over an hour. Don' really know. We be goin' pretty fast. 

Well, jus' hurry. Ah'm kinda tired of playin' dead. Ah think Ah'm just goin' to wake up so Ah can at least see what's goin' on. Without waiting for his reply, she swayed her head a bit before bringing it up and groaned for added effect. She opened her eyes and saw Jean lying on the ground, looking like a tossed aside rag doll. The girl did not appear to be injured. Keeping her mental shields up and full strength she looked around for Mesmero who appeared to be quite engrossed in a large book. If he knew she was awake, he made no acknowledgement of it.

*Well, that was easy,* she thought, stretching out her neck. So, Remy, what's goin' on? Why am Ah here? Right away she noticed his hesitance to answer. Just spill it already! 

Um, 'member how X said dat dere was a Chosen One and a Supreme Guardian? 

Yeah. 

Dey found out dat de guardian was me. Guess what dat makes you? 

Your kiddin' me, right? 

Shoulda seen dere faces when de realized I had to save de world. 

Despite the seriousness of the situation she couldn't help but find that particular vision humorous. So, this Apocalypse thing wants to take over my body and rule the world? Out of everythin' that's happened to me in my life, this has got to be the icing on the cake. 

Yeah. Remy's mental voice changed to a serious tone. Dere be a problem, t'ough. 

Of course there is. 

Y' see, if de door is opened den me an y' won' be protected no more. De prof t'inks dat if y'r taken as de host, de entire process could kill y', an' because of our link, kill me, too. He let the gravity of the situation sink in before continuing. If dat happens den dere is no stoppin' Apocalypse an' we lose. Y' know we can' let dat happen. 

Rogue agreed wholeheartedly. You're right. So what can we do about it? 

De prof is t'inkin dat if dat t'ird door gets opened, de best solution is to make it so dat Apocalypse has got no where to go. He hoped that she caught his meaning because he didn't think he could tell her straight up.

Rogue swallowed hard. She understood. Ah hear ya. 

Both were quiet for a moment. I'm sorry, _mon amour_. 

Don't be. This is what happens when ya sign up to be a super hero. She sighed. So how should Ah do it? Throw myself off a ledge or something? 

_Non_. I asked dem to put me out instead, so dere's no pain. Hank's got dis shot I can take. He paused. Dere not happy 'bout it, y' know. Wolverine been tryin' to talk de prof out of it and Hank don' agree at all. Dey haven' told Kurt 'bout it. 

A part of Rogue took tremendous comfort in what he said. 

**********

#_Storm to Cyclops. Are you there?#_

Storm's voice through the communication link was so unexpected that Scott momentarily startled.  "Hi, Storm. What's up?"

#_We have arrived and are now entering the cave. How far does it go in?#_

"So far we've walked about ten miles. No sign of the tomb yet."

Magneto, who had been listening to the exchange, spoke up. "Tell her we will wait for her here. It is better that we stay together." It was bad enough that they were already missing three team members. 

Scott nodded. "Storm, we'll wait for your team to arrive."

#_Understood. We shall see you shortly.#_

Forty-five minutes later, Storm, Colossus and Shadowcat flew over to see John trying to 'entertain' both Scott and Erik with a variety of fire animals. Magneto stood in stony silence while Scott was backed against a wall by several flaming bunnies.

When Scott felt a rush of air he looked over to see that the other team had arrived. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you guys." And he was. Having to kill time with two people who were technically still the enemy was not the most comfortable situation to be in.

"Any news about the missing students?" Magneto asked.

Clicking off her flashlight, Ororo touched down softly and extinguished the bunnies harassing Scott. "Yes. Gambit has been able to contact Rogue through their link and she is relatively unharmed. She is being held in the same area as Jean and Warren and Remy believes they are being held somewhere here in a hidden catacomb. Warren seems to be under Mesmero's manipulations while Jean is sedated for the time being."

Scott was relieved that all of his friends were safe but was still worried. "Why do they think they were taken?" 

"The professor and I have discovered some very interesting clues about the mystery surrounding Apocalypse. According to our findings, Remy is the Guardian and Rogue is the Host. It is also believed that the secret of the remaining key lies within Rogue and Remy's shared dreams. That is why Rogue was taken."

Silence prevailed throughout the tunnel. Nobody really expected the fate of the world to rest in the hands of those they cared for.

"So why was Jean taken?"

"Jean's presence would provide Mesmero with a fourth telepath to try and get past Rogue's mental shielding."

Scott let out an exasperated sigh. "Great. Things have just gone from bad to worse."

Magneto looked deep in thought. "Does Charles have any ideas of what we should do should the last door be opened? Or are we just going to rely on Remy?"

Ororo quickly cast her eyes to the ground. "He does. From what they have gathered, Remy and Rogue's bond has strengthened to a point where they mirror each other's physical health. Rogue was punched while being held captive and her cut lip also manifested on Remy. Charles and Hank both believe that should one perish the other would as well. At the moment, both are protected until the last door is opened." Her voice began to strain. "Should that final door be unlocked, Charles feels the only solution would be to terminate the host before any sort of bonding can take place."

"What?!" Scott shook his head in disbelief. "He wants to kill Rogue?"

"Not just Rogue," Kitty reminded grimly, "but Remy, too."

"That's ridiculous!"

"It is what is necessary." Storm looked at Erik. Despite the truth in his words she still did not feel that this solution was the right one.

Scott was far from convinced. "Do Rogue and Remy know about this?"

"Not only do they know, but they agree."

"You have got to be kidding me!"

Kitty stepped in. "Look, arguing about it isn't going to solve anything. If we can get to Rogue before the can figure out the whole key thing then we won't have to do any of that."

Any further argument was halted as the tunnel was once again plunged into darkness. Three flashlights clicked on instantly as they waited for John to provide them with a better light. When he was finally able to relight the torches, they all looked at each other, making sure no one was missing.

"We're all still here," Scott stated, perplexed.

"They were not after anybody." Magneto stepped forward and pointed to his head. "They have taken my helmet, now making me vulnerable to psychic attacks."

**********

Rogue gasped when she saw a figure materialize from the shadows. She recognized her as Psylcoke, the telepath who tried to invade her mind. In her hands was Magneto's helmet. Mesmero looked up in delight. 

"Excellent. Now we are ready."

"Ready for what?" Both looked at Rogue as she glared back.

Stepping away from the large volume, he addressed her. "It is now time to opened the final door and release the Master."

"An' just how do ya expect to do that with the third key still locked up in my head? If ya think ya can get in, think again."

He favored her with a smug look as he stopped right in front of her. "My dear, Rogue. It looks like you have been misinformed. The only thing in your head that I am interested in is that special little bond you have with Mr. Lebeau."

"So what do ya want with me?" she spat out.

"My elusive third key just happens to be you."

Two strong hands clamped down onto Rogue's upper arms and raised her to her feet. 

"Ah, thank you Mr. Worthington." Mesmero turned to Emma, who had just entered the room. "Ms. Frost, please wake our sleeping beauty. Her assistance will soon be needed."

Rogue was utterly confused. Remy, are ya hearing all this? 

Yeah. We're already runnin' down de tunnel. 

Please hurry. Her tone was pleading but the irritation at the situation was clearly evident on her face. "So what's the big deal with Jean? If ya got me why do ya need her?"

"Patience," He told her with a smile, further adding to her annoyance. "All will be revealed in due time." Motioning for Warren to follow, Mesmero headed for the doorway that Psylocke had just disappeared through. Rogue watched as Emma helped a dazed Jean to her feet. She wanted to call out to the girl but noticed the vacant expression on her face, similar to the one she displayed while under Mesmero's control so many months before. Helpless to do anything, Rogue could only watch as Emma and Mesmero led Jean out through the door, Warren dragging her along after them.

**********

Scott was relieved to finally see the large opening at the end of the tunnel. *Finally.*

They all walked up to the opening and looked into the large cavern. A set of two huge double doors adorned one side of the cave. It was sparsely decorated, mostly consisted of rock formations and scattered debris. However, the décor of the cave was far from their main concern. Floating above them in the center of the cave was Jean. Her face was devoid of any expression.

"Jean!" Scott rushed forward, only to run into an invisible wall. The others tried to move farther into the cave and found that Jean had completely encased them in a telekinetic bubble. Kitty reached out and phased through. Before she could reach out and pull everyone else through, an intense pain blazed through her head, rendering her unconscious.

"Tsk, tsk. Now, now, Ms. Pryde. That would be cheating." Mesmero appeared in front of the double doors, a broad smile on his face. He observed as, one by one, each member of the supposed rescue team fell, coaxed into a deep telepathic slumber. Only Scott remained awake, still being held back by Jean's power.

"Mesmero! Let them go!" Scott could now see Rogue being held by Angel.

"Now why would I do a thing like that?" Mesmero shook his head. "You should feel honored, Mr. Summers. Master Apocalypse has found you worthy to serve him."

"I'll never serve that monster!"

"We shall see."

Through their psychic rapport, Jean slowly began feeding small hints of persuasion to Scott. He struggled to ignore the whispering across his mind, but Jean's assault was continuous. 

"Don't fight it, Mr. Summers. Soon you will bear witness to the awesome powers of Master Apocalypse as he ushers the world into a new era."

"That will never happen!"

Mesmero's face took on a menacing look. "Oh, but it will. With the key and the host under my control you have no power to stop it."

**********

Remy watched as the professor raced ahead of them. *Wow.*

Charles had changed into a modified wheelchair before they had exited the jet. Remy had thought nothing of it until he saw the professor wheeling down the tunnels at fifteen miles an hour, bright headlights leading the way. They were struggling to keep up and Remy could feel the burning in his chest but he ignored it. *Gotta get to Rogue,* he kept chanting to himself.

Remy? The professor's mental voice tickled his mind.

_Oui_, professor? 

Are you okay with your decision? 

Remy inwardly sighed. Was he 'okay with his decision'? Hell no. Just when he thought life couldn't be more perfect, some stupid madman had to have some massive power trip and screw everything up. And now, he was sacrificing not only his life but Rogue's as well to save the world from a fate unknown. Did he think the world was worth it? Absolutely not. Nothing was worth risking Rogue's life, not to him. But she had agreed that this was the only way. They were both scared but her sense of duty prevailed over her fear. She would rather die than let an unknown entity control her. He knew he would never be able to bear seeing her possessed should the transformation not kill him in the process anyway. On a list of crappy choices this was the best alternative.

I'm 'bout ta kill myself an' de girl I love. What do y' t'ink? he replied curtly and shut his mind off to any further communication.

Don't be upset with him, Rogue mentally advised.

I'm tryin'. Jus' didn' t'ink he'd be so quick to write y' off like dat. 

What about you? Ah ain't exactly thrilled to know that your dyin' right along with me. Don't seem fair since Ah'm the main problem. 

Dis whole situation's unfair. Jus' goin' wit' de flow. 

Right. She hesitated a moment. Hey, Remy? 

Yeah, _chére_? 

If Ah don't get a chance later, Ah just wanted to say thank ya. 

For what, _chére_? 

For bein' ya. He felt her love shine through the link. An' for loving me. 

********** 

One more time! Thanks for the reviews. They're great, as usual. Happy reading!


	17. Back to Bayville Part IX

Back to Bayville – Part IX

"Ya really think Ah'm goin' to be able to open _that_ door?" Rogue looked at the door in question. It was quite large and appeared very heavy. Two glowing orbs, which she assumed to be the door handles, crackled with live energy.

"My dear, I don't think, I know." Mesmero told her with a chilling smile. "You see, those glowing spheres are organic in nature and are filled with pent up energy just waiting to be released. Anyone who tries to touch it simply dies from the inability to absorb the energy they emit. Do you understand what this means?"

Rogue couldn't help but glare at him before looking back to the door. "Damn powers. Always thought they were a curse," she muttered.

"On the contrary. Master Apocalypse would view them as a great blessing. Mr. Worthington, please use our key to unlock the door."

Rogue struggled against Angel's grip to no avail. With her hands and feet still bound it made it difficult to fight back. On top of that, he was covered from head to toe. He simply dragged her up to the door and, overpowering her strength with his own, forced her bare hands onto each globe. Instantly, the power surged through her. Warren was not fast enough in letting go and Rogue inadvertently acted as a conduit between him and the door. The great rush of energy shocked him and threw him back, unconscious. Rogue found her hands seemingly glued to the handles and grunted in pain and the raw energy continued to feed into her. She tried desperately to ignore the pain but the transfer was increasing in speed and quantity. When she could not take it anymore she dropped to her knees, screaming in agony, as her powers continued to absorb.

**********

Remy staggered to his knees as a strange sensation overtook his body. He and the others were sprinting down the corridor, trying to reach the room that held the third door. When Rogue's scream echoed throughout the tunnel as well as his head, they knew they were close. He bent over, placing his palms on the ground for support. It was then he noticed that his body was covered in white fire. Everyone else had stopped and watched Remy as he struggled with the pain of the surging energy coursing through him.

"Vhat's going on?" Kurt asked, alarmed.

"It's . . . Rogue. She's openin' de door . . . absorbin' de energy . . ."

Xavier was stunned at the spectacle before him. Whatever Rogue was absorbing, Remy also received the transfer. The link enabled them to share everything, thoughts, feelings, emotions, physical injuries, and now, absorbed powers. He could now see why Remy was the Guardian and Rogue was the Host. Rogue could absorb any power she wanted which is then passed on to Remy. They were the perfect balance to each other.

Soon the screaming stopped and a soft rumbling reverberated through the cave. Remy staying hunched over, trying to harness the new powers infused into him. It was amazing. He felt as if he could do anything with his powers. A stray pebble caught his eye and tried to will it to charge. To his amazement, it began to glow. After a few seconds it detonated with a small pop, diverting everyone's attention away from him. 

"That's new," Hank said as he stared at the small burn mark.

A still glowing Remy got to his feet. "We gotta hurry. De t'ird door is open." 

**********

Rogue sat on the ground as a bright azure light poured out of the door. She noticed that she herself was also aglow, encased in a strange white fire. New power raged through her body but she still felt extremely weak from the energy transfer. She looked up to see Jean still floating in the middle of the room, her telekinesis encasing Scott in a psychic bubble. The others were all knocked unconscious. *So much for the rescue team.*

"He's coming. I can feel it." Mesmero's voice floated over to her and she halfheartedly turned her head to look at him. He stood at the door, arms wide in welcoming. "Ms. Braddock, please finish your job."

Before Rogue even had time to think about what that meant, Psylocke towered over her. A large kitana shined in her hands. Shit, guess Ah'm not the host. In the blink of an eye, the long blade found itself embedded in Rogue's abdomen and the southern belle fell back onto the floor.

**********

They had just reached the opening when Remy again collapsed to his knees, clutching at his stomach. He pulled his hand away to see it covered in blood. Gasping for air, he rolled onto his back, exposing his wound for everyone to see.

"Christ!" Logan rushed over to him and pressed on the gash, trying to stop the blood from gushing out. To his horror, the blood began to pool underneath his back. "He's cut straight through!"

Xavier was trying to take in the scene before him. Jean floated in the air, a look of grim determination on her face as her hair swirled wildly about. Cyclops was trying in vain to get her to release him. The rest of the team was out of commission. Mesmero stood at the now open door. Near his feet he could see the gleaming sword that protruded out of Rogue's prone body. 

"Chuck! What in flamin' hell are ya waitin' for?! We gotta do somethin'!" 

"We cannot! They agreed to the plan and we have to stick to it!"

"I didn't agree to the plan so I ain't stickin' to it! Elf! 'Port me to Rogue! I can save her!"

Kurt grabbed Wolverine and they disappeared in a puff of smoke, only to reappear in the same place. Kurt looked at the professor. "He vhon't let me go!"

"Damn it Charles!" Logan yelled, enraged.

"This is the only way!"

Remy tried to explain otherwise. "No . . . Rogue . . . not . . . de host . . ."

"THE TIME HAS COME." A deep, booming voice echoed throughout the cavern. Through the doors, a bright red beam shot out, lancing into Jean's back and bathing her in crimson light. She screamed and immediately released Scott. Seeing that Charles was distracted Kurt quickly teleported Logan and Remy to Rogue's side. Pure rage filled Kurt as he saw his sister lying on the ground with a sword impaled into her stomach. Looking around he spotted Rogue attacker slowing advancing on them. Leaping forward, Kurt teleported, ready to take down the purple-haired telepath.

Charles continued to stare at Jean. Her screams soon turned into cackling laughter. "You are a fool, Charles! You have just done me a favor and killed the insolent Guardian for me!" 

"But what about Rogue? I thought she was your host!"

"Rogue?! She could barely handle all of the powers she absorbed! How could she handle a power as great as mine?!" With a telekinetic push, Xavier's chair was knocked over, spilling him onto the ground.

As soon as they appeared, Logan had wasted no time in putting his hands on Rogue's face. To his dismay, nothing was happening. "No, no, NO!!" he yelled. Keeping one hand on her face, he pulled the sword out of her and shredded her shirt and his. Gathering her into his arms, he tried to make it so as much of her skin touched his as possible. As he held her in a hug, his hand came upon the wound in her back, coating it with fresh blood. "Come on, kid! Don't die on me!" He held on tighter as her bright glow began to fade. "Damn it! Come on!"

Remy could hear the fear in Logan's voice and opened his eyes to see what was going on. A shirtless Logan sat holding onto Rogue for dear life, trying to press as much of himself as possible to her bra and pants clad body. Reaching up, he tenderly grasped on her dangling hands. They felt so cold. Don' die on me, girl. His mental voice was firm. Not when I jus' found out y' love me, too. Not when I jus' found out we can touch. He fought the fatigue threatening to claim him. I need y'. Ain' much of a world to save if y' ain' in it. 

Ah . . . Ah'm . . . so . . . tired . . . 

Come on, _chére_, stay wit' me. 

. . . Love . . . ya . . . always . . . 

_Non_! Don' say dat! I won' let y' die! 

Concentrating hard, Remy tried to send some of his dwindling energy to Rogue, anything to keep her hanging on.

It worked.

Logan felt the tug of her powers and sighed in relief. The drain was slow but it was working. He could feel the gash tediously knitting itself together at his fingers. As her strength grew, so did the pull of her power. Before he blacked out he saw Rogue's eyes flutter open. "'Bout friggin' time," he mumbled as he sank down. 

Feeling fully healed, Remy pulled Rogue off of Logan so she wouldn't draw off any more of him and cradled her in his arms. Both glowed bright and her heavy lidded eyes sparkled with green fire. 

Ah feel so weak, she told him.

It's okay, jus' let Logan's powers do dere job. 

She tried to smile at him but then noticed a dark red spot on his jacket. "Are ya hurt?!" she rasped out.

Remy felt for the wound that mirrored Rogue's and was relieved to find it healed as well. "Not anymore." He saw her confusion and tried to quickly explain. "Somet'in happened wit' de link so now whatever happens to y' happens to me and vice versa. I guess when y' absorb powers I get dem, too. Dat's how I'm healed."

She nodded in understanding. "Ya said . . . we could touch . . ."

"_Oui, mon amour_," he whispered, brushing his fingers down her cheek.

"Gambit! We could use your help!" Beast's voice called out, breaking up the moment.

Once more aware of where he was, Remy looked around and assessed their situation. Kurt was trying hard to disable the Asian telepath and Hank was moving to help him out. Emma, no longer preoccupied with controlling Jean, looked to be in a mental battle, with the professor no doubt. Mesmero was trying to dodge the beams being shot by a very angry Cyclops. Logan was still out from the absorption but the three of them looked relatively ignored. Deciding it was time to tip the scales, Remy released the recovering Rogue and sent off barrage of cards, effectively distracting both Mesmero and Emma. The sheer force of the explosions knocked them off their feet. Focusing on Elisabeth, he reached out with a mere thought and the sash tied around her waist began to glow faintly. Kurt noticed this and quickly backed off. The small explosion went off as she was in mid-air, poised to send a flying kick at Kurt. Instead she was flung backward into the wall, striking her head with enough force to render her out cold. 

With two quick mental blasts Xavier disabled both Mesmero and Emma, ensuring that they would no longer be a threat for the time being. Looking towards his fallen team, he called out to all of them with his mind, rousing them out of their telepathic slumber. 

Leaving Rogue in Kurt and Hank's care, Remy stood and focused on a writhing Jean. *So she's de host. How am I gonna take her down?* He looked around. "Scott! Can you knock her down?" He saw Scott nod and, without hesitation, open fire. His beams struck Jean but did nothing to bring her down. The red laser from the door was holding her tightly in place.

"Rogue! Wait!"

Remy turned at Hank's cry and saw Rogue standing shakily to her feet. "Ah can do it!"

He ran over to her trying to steady her stance. "Do what?"

She looked at him and her expression softened. "Ah can bring her down."

"How?" He had a pretty good idea of what she was going to say.

"Just like last time she spazed out of control. Ah'm gonna absorb her."

"No."

"What do ya mean 'no'?"

He leveled his gaze at her. "We don' know what will happen if you do dat. Apocalypse can only have one host. It could kill y'!"

"That was a sacrifice we were willing to make before! A sacrifice Ah was willing to make to prevent him from takin' over! What's the difference now?"

His voice rose. "I'm not willin' to make dat sacrifice anymore! Hell, I wasn' really willin' to make it before!" He cupped her face with one hand, trying to calm his anger at their situation. "Y' mean too much to me!"

"Um, guys? I don't think we have to worry about bringing her down." They followed Kurt's gaze to Jean. She was now on the ground, her eyes glowing red. Blazing orange fire surrounded her and her costume had changed from its standard black and green to a shiny black armor. She stood with her arms raised, as if posed to strike, and then collapsed onto her knees.

"Someone . . . help me!" she cried out. The pain on her face was evident as she rebelled against the unknown entity trying to take over her body. Her eyes changed from green to red as each fought for control. 

Scott approached cautiously, watching as his girlfriend doubled over in agony. "Come on Jean! Fight it! I know you can do it! You're stronger than him!"

As he approached, the sudden change in eye color went unnoticed behind his ruby shades and he found himself being flung backwards. "No one is stronger than me!" she bellowed.

Everyone! Try and distract her as I attempt to purge Apocalypse from her! the professor shouted into their minds.

Heeding the command, Magneto promptly fastened Jean to her place on the ground so she could no longer go airborne, a task made quite simple with her change to a metal armor. Storm reinforced his efforts by encasing her feet in blocks of ice. A pack of flaming wolves formed a circle around Jean, far enough away to keep the ice from melting, but close enough to strike. Hank, Kurt, Piotr and Kitty all began to slowly advance as they watched her struggle to get free from Magneto's binding powers. Scott watched from where he was thrown, eyes trained on her form and hand placed on his visor. Remy stood with a restraining arm on Rogue, taking note of all of the stray debris near Jean's feet. 

Frustration fueled the anger growing in Apocalypse and he used that to awaken Jean's fiery temper. Her features contorting into a evil grin, she pushed everyone away from her and pinned them all to different walls of the cave. Using the mental strength of Apocalypse as a booster, she focused a powerful psychic blast at Magneto as was very satisfied to see him hunch over, unconscious. Dropping the offending man, she focused her thoughts on Storm. The others watched as Storm promptly went ghostly white. Genuine fear etched itself on her face as she thrashed about. Within seconds Storm was out like a light. Thinking she was distracted, Xavier tried to attack her mind. Unbeknownst to him, Apocalypse's mind was impenetrable. The psychic feedback was so intense that Xavier's mind was momentarily paralyzed and he, too, slumped over. She easily plucked the visor off of Scott's eyes, leaving him blind and unable to attack.

Oh my God. 

What? Remy asked. He could feel Rogue's worry.

As best she could, she looked at him. She's preyin' on all of our weaknesses. She attacked Magneto at his weak point: his mind. Storm's was her claustrophobia. With the prof out, if we don't stop her, we're done. 

Rogue felt herself being pulled away from the wall. Before she could protest, she was flung straight at Hank. Both lacked the protection of a shirt and Rogue steeled herself against the onslaught of a new psyche. After a few seconds Rogue was pulled away and floated over to Kitty where she felt her bare shoulder come into contact with the younger girl's face. One by one, the remaining team members were knocked out by Rogue's lethal touch and Rogue could do nothing against the puppet-like control.

Remy! Ya gotta do somethin'! She's tryin' to overload my mind! 

As distraught as he was at seeing Rogue being tossed around, a plan began to formulate in his mind. With Rogue's every touch, he could feel the new powers coursing through him as well. The only one's left were him and Kurt. 

Try to focus, _chére_. I'm gettin' all de powers, too. She don' realize dat she's chargin' us bot' up. Stay strong. I got a plan. Through their link, he sought out her own psyche and focused on it, hoping that by doing so she wouldn't get lost in all of the new minds she was absorbing. He could feel the new thoughts threatening to drown both of them, but he wouldn't let it. His heart went out to her as she fought to maintain control. Never in a million years would he have guessed that this is what her powers felt like. When Kurt's powers flooded through her, he felt like a tidal wave was trying to crush him. He could feel the thoughts of the furry mutant and received the knowledge of how his powers worked. As the absorbed the new knowledge, he could feel Rogue's determination to stay in control deteriorating so he tried his best to ignore the overwhelming sensation and concentrated on keeping Rogue anchored. _Chére_, y' still wit' me? 

Yeah. Just . . . need a sec to collect myself. Her voice sounded strained but she was hell bent on staying conscious.

Good. Now listen up, dis is goin' to go quick. As best he could he relayed his plan to Rogue. He didn't have much time because Jean was already positioning Rogue to strike him down. He was the last one left. Trying to tune out Jean's maniacal laugh, he watch as Rogue slowly floated over to him. He could see the apprehension in her eyes and tried to soothe her with his thoughts.

Jean watched in sadistic glee as she forced Rogue to kiss her Cajun boyfriend. It was the perfect way to break her. Her amusement soon turned to confusion, though, as she watched Rogue wrap her arms around Gambit's neck. She continued to watch in utter shock, failing to notice her armor begin to glow faintly until it was too late. The explosion knocked her clear off her feet. The charge wasn't enough to kill but enough to burn. The unexpected blast broke Jean's concentration, releasing all those in her telekinetic hold. Rogue and Remy quickly transitioned to battle mode. Drawing on Kurt's borrowed powers, Rogue teleported both of them closer to Jean's body, which lay unmoving on the ground. The armor had been completely destroyed, leaving the telepath clad in tattered remains of cloth. Angry red burns marred her light skin. Rogue stepped towards her, checking for any signs of life while Remy stood cautiously behind her, ready to strike if necessary. As Rogue leaned over Jean, she was startled back when the prone figure suddenly opened her bright red eyes. The Kitty inside Rogue phased instinctively when Jean lunged at her, allowing Jean to plow right into an unsuspecting Gambit's legs. He fell on his back and used the momentum to kick Jean off. Seemingly unfazed, Jean rolled to her feet and used her powers to slam Remy into a nearby wall. The attack slightly winded Remy but greatly affected Rogue as she hunched over, feeling the air knocked out of her. He felt her pain and flashed a concerned look in her direction. The distraction proved costly as he soon felt a hot pain lance through his side. The energy beam had cut through his battle gear and grazed his skin. *Well dis is new. I guess Apocalypse be givin' Jean new powers, too.* Gripping his injury, he rolled to the side, avoiding the next attack. Focusing on their special link, he plucked the information on Colossus' powers from Rogue and immediately felt the cool armor encase him. *Dis should buy 'er some time to recover.* He had felt Rogue's mental cry at the second attack. The healing factor she absorbed was beginning to tax with the multiple injuries so he had to try and keep from getting hurt while she recovered. 

Irritated at her current condition, Rogue was trying hard to ignore the pain but she could feel the blood trickle down her side. The wound wasn't deep but it was long and it stung with the pain of a paper cut. Rising weakly to her feet she looked over to where the fight was. Remy had armored up and was relying on Hank's strength and Kurt's agility to help him move the extra weight he was now carrying out of harm's way. Following Remy's lead, she, too, adopted the metal form, teleported right in front Jean's body and punched her. Jean fell under the sheer strength of the hit but managed to sweep Rogue's legs out from under her. The southern beauty fell with a resounding 'clang' and reverted back to normal. Wasting no time, Jean lifted her off the ground and threw her into a still armored Remy.

Scott gritted his teeth in frustration. He could hear the battle going on around him, but without his visor he could do nothing to contribute. It was too dangerous to risk taking a peak and everyone kept moving around too much for him to pinpoint their location through sound. A strangled cry from Rogue immediately grabbed his attention, followed by the sound of someone hitting a metal wall. "Rogue! Y'r gonna pay for dat!" he heard Remy cry out. Multiple explosions accompanied his threat, as well as Jean's familiar scream. His helplessness was beginning to drive him nuts. He knew that Jean, or at least Jean's body, had already been injured in the large explosion he had heard earlier and hearing her pain filled howl nearly brought him to his knees. He knew Jean was in there somewhere and as the fight wore on he found it harder and harder to keep emotionally detached, especially since Remy was letting his feelings for Rogue clearly influence his actions.

Remy was growing increasingly angry at the Jean/Apocalypse amalgamation. *I'm the damn guardian and I got no idea how to end dis wit'out killin' Jean.* Just knowing how much this fight was affecting Rogue was enough to make him see red. He was beginning to not care that Jean was still fighting for control. If Rogue sustained any more damage to her not fully recovered body he feared that they both might not make it out alive. He could already feel how weak she was and was struggling to keep the shared effects from hindering him. The stab wound they had healed earlier was starting to open up once again and his back was starting to throb. When he saw Rogue about to smash into him he tried to revert back to normal but failed to do so in time. The pain in his side was persistent on bothering him but he tried to block it all out, his attention divided between Jean and Rogue. 

Rogue was trying very hard to remain conscious. Her back ached from her crash into Remy and she could feel her stab wound tearing back open and the blood trickling down her abdomen. Logan's healing factor was fading fast so they had to end this fight quick. She blinked away the dancing spots in her eyes and heard Remy's discouraged thoughts. Looking over at Jean, she could see her body beginning to stir. *Ah'm tired of this. Ah'm endin' this now.* She quickly teleported over to Jean and placed her bare hands on the girl's face, focusing on the foreign entity that was trying to take up permanent residence.

"Rogue, no!" but his cry came too late. Remy watched as Rogue's flesh came into contact with Jean's pale skin. He ran over to them and pulled at Rogue, trying to break the contact.

Logan's vision swam into focus as he regained consciousness. He looked around and saw most of everyone knocked out. When his vision settled on Rogue, Gambit and Jean, he couldn't help but stare at what he saw. Remy was now glowing brighter than ever, a dazzling, blinding white. Rogue's color had changed to a fire engine red and was growing in intensity. Jean's glow was diminishing with every passing second. Looking harder he noticed that Rogue was touching Jean's face and Remy was trying to pull Rogue away. Their gashes had reopened and were spilling blood. His eyes widened in horror and he quickly ran over to the trio and attempted to yank Jean away from the dangerous contact, only to find himself thrown backwards. The glow was acting as a sort of energy field. 

Rogue could feel Apocalypse flowing into her and was beginning to worry. His presence was consuming her and she feared she wouldn't be able to contain it all, especially after having already absorbed her teammates. All of a sudden, the transfer simply stopped and her head began to pulsate with extreme pain. Her entire body felt full to the max and she felt the intense need to release the pent of energy. She wrested her hands away from Remy and turned towards the door. As soon as it appeared in her field of vision, the pain began to multiply and her hands started to burn. No longer able to take the pain she screamed and a big red beam shot out of her hands and back into the door. When she was finally spent, her red glow was gone and she collapsed to the ground. Remy moved to her side.

The door . . . 

His mind became alert at her mental voice. What about it? 

Close it . . . seal it shut . . . Her hands were burned and they were both bleeding freely.

How, _chére_? 

'Member . . . how . . . opened it . . . 

He thought back to how she had opened the door and her meaning clicked in his head. Getting up he hurried as best he could to the doors and tried to close them. Logan caught on to what he was doing and ran over to help. After much effort, both doors were shut and the sound rattled through the cavern. Remy eyed the two door handles and grabbed them without hesitation. Activating his mutant powers he channeled his energy to the orbs, charging them. He continued to pour on the energy and Logan noticed his glow start to die out as well. When his energy was exhausted he released the once more glowing spheres and stumbled to his knees. As he tried to collect himself he felt a whisper in his mind.

Don't . . . think . . . Ah'm gonna make it . . . 

He whipped his head around and looked at Rogue lying prone on the ground. He tried to move to her but soon found himself sprawled on the floor. "Rogue!"

Logan caught on to what was happening and rushed over to her, intent on saving her for the second time that day. He cradled her in his arms and murmured an uncharacteristic prayer when he felt no tug.

Remy battled the darkness threatening to take him. Stay wit' me. 

Can't . . . promise . . 

Please, _chére_ . . . 

We'll find each other again . . . maybe . . . 

God, no . . . 

Ah'll find you . . . Ah . . . love . . . you . . . 

And in that moment the darkness won. 

**********

Thanks for the reviews! They were great. I'm going to save all my comments for the last chapter. Hope you enjoyed this one!


	18. Back to Bayville Part X

Epilogue

She ran.

Her footfalls fell silently. Tears streamed down her face, causing her to run blindly through the black void. *Dis can' be happenin',* she thought. *Where am Ah? Ah can' find my way out!* Everything was so dark. The tears soon turned to sobs and she wearily sunk to the ground, her lungs unable to keep up any longer. She pulled her knees tightly to her chest, trying to quiet the noise her crying was making. She wanted to be found, a wish that didn't go unnoticed, she found, as two arms enveloped her. 

"Darlin'? What's wrong?"

 She opened her eyes. Everything was so dark. *Someone found me!* she thought. She then realized she was sitting on something soft. *Huh? Ah'm in bed?*

"Angelique?"

She knew that voice. "Oncle Logan!" she cried out, latching her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shirt. 

Logan hugged the girl back just as fiercely. "It's okay, Ange. Tell me why yer cryin'.

"Ah had a bad dream. Ah was lost and Ah didn't know how ta get out. Ah was real scared."

"It's okay now. It was just a dream. You gonna be able to go back to bed?" he asked, stroking her hair in comfort.

Angelique nodded. "Yeah, but is it okay if Ah go see Momma and Poppa first?"

"Sure kid. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

**********

As soon as the door opened, Angelique burst into the room and hopped onto the bed, straight into her parents' waiting arms. "Momma! Poppa!"

Rogue embraced her daughter while Remy wrapped his long arms around the both of them. "What's wrong, sugah?"

"Ange? Has Poppa's _petite ange_ been cryin'?"

"Ah had a bad dream," came the muffled resposnse. "Ah was scared an' Ah wanted ta see you bot'. Is that okay?"

"Of course, baby! That's what we're here for. Now, tell Momma and Poppa all about your bad dream."

Logan watched the interaction from up in the control both and could not help but feel a little sad. "You guys should be here," he said out loud, dropping into one of the chairs. "She needs ya." He put his head in his hands. 

When Rogue and Remy had asked him to be the godfather of now eight-year-old Angelique Lebeau, Logan had felt tremendously honored and vowed to take care of the little girl as if she were his own if anything ever happened to them. Never in a million years did he think he would have to make good on his promise. After the whole ordeal with Apocalypse went down Rogue and Remy spent a lot of time recovering from their injuries; it took nearly a year, to be more accurate. Xavier forced them into inactive status until he was satisfied with their health. Both had spent considerable time unconscious everyone thanked their lucky stars that Remy's heart had stayed stubbornly beating, bringing Rogue back from the brink of death. Jean, on the other hand, was up and about after two months. She sustained a constant vigil over the two southerners until they woke, grateful that they had saved her life.

It was difficult to understand all that had occurred during that particular battle. For the period that Rogue and Remy were in the infirmary, Logan had harbored a small amount of resentment towards Charles for not acting sooner. The sword wound had placed tremendous amounts of stress on their bodies, in addition to the remaining battle. Their survival was miraculous in his eyes. He could remember as Rogue lay dying in his arms, blood oozing out of her gash. Remy was in no better condition but the residual energy he had pent up from Rogue's multiple absorptions left him in slightly better condition. He really wasn't sure how they both managed to hold on long enough to get back to the mansion. It had seemed like ages before anyone else woke up and helped the injured back to the jet. The whole time he had held onto Rogue as her lifeline, hoping she would absorb his healing factor once more. He hadn't realized it but she had been drawing off of him very lightly so that by the end of the flight her would had at least stopped bleeding and was not as long. 

Charles and Hank spent considerable amounts of time trying to figure out what exactly had happened while watching over their patients. Guilt hung heavily on Charles' shoulders. His decisions nearly cost him his whole team and he was determined to figure out where he had gone wrong. They had determined that there was no way they could have foreseen Jean's possession since the link between Rogue and Remy pegged them as the most obvious candidates. The link itself still remained somewhat of a mystery. Apparently, their shared dreams only served to strengthen the bond to a point where it was beneficial in the battle against Apocalypse. Rogue was given the ability to open the door and Remy was her balance with the power to close it. In addition, it gave Rogue and Remy the ability to touch one another. Hank had deduced that since Remy was able to draw upon any powers lying within Rogue through the link, he could tap into her absorption powers, which would enable them to cancel each other out. It seemed a little far-fetched but nobody really thought much of it. All that mattered was that Rogue could touch, even if it only was one person.

In the month before they returned to active status, Rogue and Remy had gotten married. A year later they had little Angelique and remained on permanent reserve status. Three years after that Logan and Ororo had gained full custody of their goddaughter. Logan thought back to that fateful day. Rogue and Remy had invited him and Ororo to a jazz concert in the city. They had dinner at a small restaurant on the way to the theater. While waiting outside for Rogue and Ororo to finish their business in the ladies room, two bullets pierced the air. Both men went down and their assassin fled the scene. It took Logan a few minutes to recover as his body attempted to purge the bullet that pierced his heart. As he tried to heal he heard Ororo's hysterical cry for help. He tried to get up and yelled for Remy to get up so they could help the ladies. When he received no response he looked over at his Cajun companion. Remy sat slumped against the side of the building, eyes closed, blood trickling down from the small hole in his head. In that instant, Logan knew why Ororo was so distraught and he let out a howl of rage of his own. Their link was a blessing and a curse. Four years before it had saved their lives and probably the whole world. In front of the restaurant that night, it took three very important people away from Angelique: her mother, her father, and the little brother that was two months shy of being born. Hank had tried his best to save the baby but Rogue's heart had been stopped for too long. That very night, Logan went out and tracked the gunman performed his own version of justice.

A small squeal of glee shook Logan out of his reverie and he looked down into the Danger Room. Angelique was trying to squirm away from her 'parents' as they tickled her. A small smile appeared on his lips. After about of week of his goddaughter waking up in the middle of the night calling for her parents, he had created a program that let Angelique interact with them. At first, many of the other residents had objected to his solution but it worked. He made sure that she understood that these weren't her real parents, a task made easier with Ororo's explanation of them being angels that Uncle Logan had the ability to summon. Now that she was eight, Angelique knew that her 'parents' were really just holograms but she still took comfort in them.

"Okay, Ange. Time to go back to bed."

"Okay!" She turned back to her parents and hugged them tight. "Ah love you," she told them, planting a small kiss on each of their cheeks.

"Remember what we always tell ya."

"Ah know. You love me always and someday we'll be together again."

**********

*sigh* I know, I know. Much to the dislike of many of my readers, I let Remy and Rogue die, again (don't hate me). However, I never planned on letting them live in the first place (which sounds twisted since they are my favorite couple). A 'happily ever after' ending just didn't seem appropriate. For all of those who are wonder, yes this IS the end of the story. Why? Because they had a child, the ultimate testament of their love. In my opinion, they can't come back around until their child has lived her life. I do want to write a story with a futuristic setting but I didn't want to keep building on the previous lifetimes. As some of you had said, it was getting repetitive. 

On another note, I really wanted to thank all of the readers who gave this story such a warm welcome. Your reviews meant a lot, even if they were only a few words. It's been a blast trying to entertain you all. Don't worry, I'm not done writing yet!

Flyby Stardancer – Please don't hate me for letting them die :)

Gaea – I am truly grateful for the praise. I do believe that they deserve a happy ending but it just didn't fit here. It makes me smile to know you think this is one of the best romys you have ever read and I will definitely continue to write more.

luna0520@aol.com - How about instead of killing me, I write another story with a happy ending?

Raniatlw – I am so sorry to dash your hopes.

jiana weasley – Please don't cry. See? I finished it!

Lucky439 – You're right. It's not fair.

Neurotic Temptress – Yes, the ending pattern wasn't the same. I just had to throw in that little twist.

Girl number 1 – Thank you for the compliments. Don't you worry, I already have another story swimming around in my head that I didn't want to start until I finished this one.

Talia458 - Thank you for all the great ideas. I may not be writing a new era but don't count out a possible future story.

ishandahalf – They survived the battle but that blasted assassin ruined everything! Good thing Logan took care of him.

Panther Nesmith & lovewildfire – Glad you've both enjoyed this so much.

Sash, Carla & Rogue Worrior Spirit – Oh no is right. These two just can't catch a break.

Thanks again for the support! Happy reading!


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